TRANSPORT

Anglian Prince Tugboat

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what impact assessment his Department conducted prior to taking its decision to remove the service provided by the Stornoway base in relation to the removal of the Anglian Prince tugboat.

Michael Penning: Prior to taking the decision to discontinue the provision of publicly funded emergency towing vessels (ETV), the Department for Transport undertook an assessment of the changes that have taken place in the maritime environment, together with a consideration of the frequency with which ETVs have been tasked to assist vessels that have got into difficulty.
	The Government believes this is properly a matter for commercial shipowners and the insurers, using the services of commercial towing vessels.
	Accordingly, the Government have judged that the risk in not renewing the ETV contract from September 2011 is acceptable in the light of the need to reduce the fiscal deficit.

Anglian Prince Tugboat

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport where the nearest to Na h-Eileanan an Iar Maritime and Coastal Authority funded tug will be based after the removal of the Stornoway-based Anglian Prince tugboat service; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: As part of the strategy for reducing the fiscal deficit the Government have decided that it is no longer appropriate to maintain provision of publicly funded Emergency Towing Vessels (ETV).
	The current contract for ETVs expires in September 2011, following which MCA funding for ETVs will be withdrawn.
	Commercial tugs operate in a variety of locations around the UK and the Government would expect shipowners and insurers to make use of them.

Departmental Secondment

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff his Department has appointed on secondment since 7 May 2010; and from what organisation each such member of staff has been seconded.

Norman Baker: Since 19 May 2010 the Department for Transport has been subject to a recruitment freeze. However, since 7 May 2010, due to a business critical need in developing transport policy, Department for Transport has appointed three secondees. These individuals were appointed at no cost to the Department.
	It is the policy of the Cabinet Office to withhold data which could identify an individual. Because the number of secondees is below five, I am unable to provide information on the organisations they have come from.

Driving: Licensing

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will direct the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency not to initiate proceedings in respect of the late licensing penalty demand issued to Ms Maxine Bennett, a constituent of the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley, in respect of the vehicle with registration mark N182 JUG.

Michael Penning: I am satisfied with the actions taken by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

National Express: Correspondence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence between his Department and National Express on  (a) the Greater Anglia franchise,  (b) rail fares on that franchise,  (c) timetable changes on that franchise and  (d) the National Station Improvement Programme for stations covered by that franchise since 2008.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport is in daily contact with National Express East Anglia (NXEA) and as such the volume of correspondence is extremely high. Much of this correspondence is commercially sensitive to NXEA and/or the Department and would not be appropriate to be placed in the public domain. The task of sorting documentation that can be released means that the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Passenger Ships: Liverpool

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with Liverpool City Council on the provision of a cruise line turn-around facility in Liverpool.

Michael Penning: holding answer 1 November 2010
	 The Secretary of State and I have had no discussions with Liverpool city council on this matter. I am considering a recent proposal presented by Liverpool city council requesting that the grant condition of allowing only port of call use at the facility is relaxed so that the city cruise terminal is able to operate turnaround cruise.

Railways: Kent

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what capital projects he expects to begin on railway lines in  (a) Kent and  (b) Maidstone and the Weald constituency before 2015.

Theresa Villiers: As set out in the spending review on 20 October, the Government are still finalising their position regarding a number of rail projects. An announcement will be made shortly.

Waterloo Station

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent consideration he has given to the  (a) sale and  (b) transfer of Waterloo International Terminal to Network Rail; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will take steps to ensure the future use of all Waterloo International Terminal platforms for rail services;
	(3)  what plans he has for the future use of Waterloo International Terminal; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: As set out in the spending review on 20 October 2010, Government are still finalising their position regarding a number of rail projects. An announcement is expected to be made shortly.

SCOTLAND

Aviation: Security

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has assessed the effect of airport security measures required by the Department for Transport on the competitiveness of airports in Scotland.

Michael Moore: The Department for Transport is working towards developing a new regulatory system for aviation security-one where the Government concentrates on setting the security outcomes that need to be achieved, giving operators the freedom to devise the security processes needed to deliver them. That will allow airports to deliver more efficient and passenger-friendly security processes without compromising passenger security.
	As the Home Secretary stated in Parliament on 1 November, in the light of the incident at Nottingham East Midlands Airport, additional measures have been put in place in the immediate term. Discussions are in progress on appropriate measures for the longer term.

Departmental Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  how much funding to meet staff redundancy costs was identified in his Department's settlement letter in respect of the comprehensive spending review;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies in his Department arising from the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the costs to his Department of staff redundancy in each of the next four years.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All of its staff are on secondment from other public bodies, mainly the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government. Redundancy issues are a matter for these parent bodies.

Green Investment Bank

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last discussed the operation of the proposed Green Investment Bank with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

Michael Moore: The operation of the Green Investment Bank is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Vince Cable). I have regular discussions with him and Cabinet colleagues on a range of matters, including on the Green Investment Bank.

Housing Benefit

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next plans to meet the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities to discuss the likely effect on local authorities in Scotland of the proposed cap on housing benefit.

Michael Moore: I am in regular contact with a range of stakeholders on matters concerning housing benefit. As was the case under the previous administration, it is not the Government's practice to divulge Ministers' diary schedules.

Human Rights

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has discussed with the Scottish Executive the application of the provisions of the Human Rights Act 1998 in respect of the judgment of the Supreme Court in Cadder  v. Her Majesty's Advocate (Scotland).

Michael Moore: The Secretary of State for Justice and I both engaged with the Scottish Government on the issues raised by this case. The Scottish Government introduced emergency legislation on 26 October and the Bill received Royal Assent on 29 October.

Universities Scotland

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has discussed with Universities Scotland the effect on Universities Scotland of the Browne review of higher education funding in England.

Michael Moore: I met representatives from Universities Scotland prior to the publication of Lord Browne's report on 12 October and I am in regular contact with a range of stakeholders on matters concerning higher education in Scotland.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bridleways: Horse Riding

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on  (a) horse rider access to bridleways and  (b) future numbers of bridleways.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA is keen for horse riders to be able to access more off-road riding to take them away from busy roads. We will use a big society approach, using innovative ways of creating improved bridleway networks, including statutory, permissive and paid access. DEFRA supports equestrian access organisations working strategically with local highway authorities and landowners to deliver real benefits to horse riders.

EC Law

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the likely savings to her Department of not operating the sampling plan proposed in article 16 of Council Regulation (EC) 1224/2009.

Richard Benyon: The United Kingdom does not currently carry out sampling plans of the activity of the under 10 metre fleet, nor will we be establishing the sampling plans required by Article 16.2 of Council Regulation 1224/2009. We shall instead continue to monitor the activity of the under 10 metre fleet as a whole, on the basis of sales notes, making use of the derogation available in Article 16.4 of that regulation.
	Because of this, we have not considered it necessary to estimate the likely costs to the Department, or to the Marine Management Organisation, of carrying out these sampling plans.

EC Law

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to require all operators of vessels in the under- 10 metre fleet to complete a log book; whether such plans derive from the requirements of Council Regulation (EC) 1224/2009; and what information her Department holds on the implementation of such requirements in other EU member states.

Richard Benyon: I currently have no plans to require operators of under 10 metre vessels to complete a logbook beyond those that have already been announced. There is no requirement in Council Regulation 1224/2009 for such operators to complete logbooks. However, in the detailed implanting rules currently under negotiation in Brussels, the Commission has included a provision requiring the masters of all under 10 metre vessels to complete monthly catch reports.

Food: Labelling

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what timetable her Department has set for discussions with the food industry on labelling and point of sale information on methods of preparation of meat.

James Paice: No specific timetable has been set for discussions with the food industry on the use of labelling or point of sale information to provide information on methods of preparation, including method of slaughter, of meat. This is a complex and sensitive issue and addressing current concerns, while respecting the religious freedoms of the communities involved, will require very careful consideration. I will be using the regular contact I will have with retail and catering organisations over the coming months to explore these issues further.

Forestry Commission

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much of the Forestry Commission woodland estate is held as  (a) freehold and  (b) leasehold; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: As at 31 March 2010 the Forestry Commission public forest estate in England comprised 198,298 hectares of freehold land and 57,692 hectares of leasehold land. The majority of this is woodland, but it also includes associated open habitats, some agricultural land and land used for quarries, car parks and built development.

Livestock: Slaughterhouses

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has made a recent assessment of the merits of making mandatory pre-stunning prior to slaughter for farm animals entering the food chain.

James Paice: The UK Government would prefer to see all farm animals stunned before slaughter but accepts the rights of religious communities to eat meat slaughtered in accordance with their religious beliefs. We have not made a recent assessment of the merits of making mandatory pre-stunning prior to slaughter for farm animals entering the food chain. Current and future EU regulations give member states rights to exercise discretion over pre-cut stunning when related to religious slaughter. The UK restricts the practice of slaughter without stunning to slaughterhouses.

Mushrooms

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects on the competitive position of the mushroom composting regulations of her recent changes to the regulatory regime affecting the industry.

James Paice: holding answer 1 November 2010
	DEFRA is aware of two mushroom farms which both grow mushrooms and make compost for their own use. These were previously eligible for registering an exemption under waste legislation, but since the introduction of the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010 operators of all on-farm mushroom composting operations must apply for an environmental permit by 1 October 2011. DEFRA is not aware of any competition concerns resulting from this change.

National Parks: Finance

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to ensure transparent arrangements for financial reporting by national parks' authorities.

Richard Benyon: The National Park Authorities and the Broads Authority operate within a framework of local authority legislation. Each authority is required to submit an annual account and report on the exercise and performance of its functions to DEFRA as soon as possible after the end of the financial year.
	The Audit Commission is responsible for the external audit arrangements for the authorities, and in addition each authority is required to maintain adequate and effective internal audit arrangements carried out in accordance with the standards and guidance issued by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. The annual report, accounts and audit statements are public documents.
	The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has announced plans to disband the Audit Commission. The intention is to have new arrangements in place for auditing England's local public bodies, including the National Park Authorities, by 2012-13.

Slaughterhouses: Inspections

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what restrictions there are on  (a) meat hygiene inspectors and  (b) abattoir workers assisting such inspectors on taking samples of meat for inspection while on medication; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  for what reason veterinary officers and meat hygiene inspectors are not allowed to sample meat for inspection while they are on medication.

Anne Milton: I have been asked to reply.
	Under Food Standards Agency (FSA) guidance for the collection of samples from licensed slaughterhouses (with respect to sampling undertaken for the veterinary residue National Surveillance Scheme) sampling officers are instructed not to carry out any sampling during the treatment period for the following types of medication:
	
		
			  Type of medication  Active ingredients  May be used in the treatment of: 
			 Inhaler (containing beta-agonists) Formoterol Asthma 
			  Salbutamol  
			  Salmeterol  
			
			 Skin creams(containing steroids) Betamethasone Skin conditions (e.g. dermatitis) 
			  Hydrocortisone  
			
			 Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory gels Ibuprofen Pain relief, headaches, arthritis, fever 
			
			 Other topical preparations Antibiotic or anti-inflammatory eye drops Bacterial eye infections 
			  Chloramphenicol eye ointment  
			
			 Tablets Steroids Joint disease, auto-immune disease 
		
	
	In order to maintain continuity of sample collection, traceability and to prevent any cross-contamination it is expected that sampling collection is carried out by authorised FSA staff only.
	The aim of the National Surveillance Scheme is to detect whether unauthorised veterinary medicinal products (VMPs) are being used in food producing animals and that the conditions attached to authorised VMPs are being observed. This programme helps to ensure that consumers are protected against potentially harmful residues of veterinary medicines.
	Where samples are found to contain residues of VMPs above the permitted maximum residue limit, or where residues of unauthorised substances have been detected, follow up action is required. This will involve an on-farm investigation and, potentially, legal proceedings.
	Due to the sensitivity involved in laboratory analytical methods, and the potential of those compounds identified above to cause problems with results, sampling officers are instructed not to carry out sampling during the treatment period.

Swimming Pools

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to increase the number of inland bathing water locations under the requirements of the European Bathing Water Directives.

Richard Benyon: There are 415 bathing waters in England designated under the directive, nine of which are inland sites. DEFRA annually asks local authorities, non-governmental organisations, swimming associations and the public to review existing designations and suggest possible new inland and coastal bathing waters.
	Designation of bathing waters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the relevant devolved Administration.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding to meet staff redundancy costs was identified in his Department's settlement letter in respect of the comprehensive spending review.

Owen Paterson: The Department's settlement letter in respect of the 2010 spending review did not identify funding to meet staff redundancy costs. The Department does not at this stage anticipate redundancies across the spending review period.

Departmental Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies arising from the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review in respect of  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies.

Owen Paterson: The Department does not at this stage anticipate redundancies as a result of its spending reductions proposed in the spending review. It is currently working with its arm's length bodies to manage the outcomes of the spending review.

Departmental Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the costs to his Department of staff redundancy in each of the next four years.

Owen Paterson: The Department does not at this stage anticipate redundancies across the spending review period.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Daniel Ubani

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Attorney-General what steps the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has taken to assess the compatibility of the actions of the German authorities in the case of Dr Daniel Ubani with the requirements of the European Arrest Warrant procedure; and if he will deliver to  (a) the family of David Gray and  (b) the hon. Member for North East Cambridgeshire a copy of each paper the CPS examined in the course of that assessment.

Edward Garnier: holding answer 1 November 2010
	The European Union Framework Decision which provides for the European Arrest Warrant does not create legal requirements about where an individual should be tried where two or more countries have concurrent jurisdiction over the same case. The actions of the German authorities in this case were governed by German law. Eurojust has published guidelines about the factors that should be taken into account when deciding which jurisdiction should prosecute in such cases, but these are not legally binding.
	The answer provided to your earlier question by the Attorney-General on 28 October 2010,  Official Report, column 389W, explains the assessment made by the CPS and the confidentiality which attached to the Eurojust meeting.

WALES

Comprehensive Spending Review

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the likely effects on policing in Wales of implementation of the outcomes of the comprehensive spending review.

David Jones: Both my right hon. Friend and I have had regular discussions with Cabinet and ministerial colleagues on matters affecting policing and law and order in Wales and regularly meet with the Welsh Chief Constables, ACPO Cymru and the Welsh police authorities.

Broadband

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had with Ministerial colleagues on a superfast broadband pilot project in Wales.

David Jones: My right hon. Friend and I have regular meetings with ministerial colleagues on issues affecting Wales, including broadband. I met with my hon. Friend, the Minister responsible for culture, communications and creative industries on 26 October to discuss this matter further. I am also a member of the cross-Government Ministerial Group on Broadband which will ensure that we take a joined-up approach to the delivery of the coalition Government's broadband policy and projects.
	In relation to the superfast broadband pilot projects, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (Mr Hunt) said in his recent answer to you on 25 October 2010,  Official Report, column 8, we hope that it will be possible to extend some of the benefits of the Herefordshire pilot into Wales. There will also be further announcements before the end of the year on how the Government plan to roll out broadband to the whole country.
	In the meantime, my officials and I continue to work in order to bring the full benefits of superfast broadband to Wales.

Coal: Industry

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions she has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on the future of the coal industry in Wales; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on a range of issues affecting Wales.
	We are committed to a future for clean coal in Wales and support the plans for an open cast operation at Tower Colliery near Hirwaun.
	We are also committed to continuing to work with Tata and the Welsh Assembly Government to take forward a new deep mine on the Port Talbot Steelworks site that would make the plant almost self sufficient in terms of coking coal.

Iron and Steel: Industry

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions she has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on the future of the steel industry in Wales; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have regular discussions with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on a range of issues affecting Wales including the steel industry.
	The steel industry makes a very important contribution to the Welsh economy and remains a key employer.
	We welcome Tata's investment of £185 million at the Port Talbot steelworks and we continue to work with Tata and the Welsh Assembly Government to take forward the company's plans for a deep mine on the Port Talbot site which could create hundreds more much needed jobs.

Renewable Energy

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions she has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on renewable energy sources in Wales; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on a range of issues affecting Wales including renewable energy sources.
	Wales has an abundance of natural sources of renewable energy and we are committed to working with the Welsh Assembly Government to ensure that these are used to their full potential.

S4C

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what meetings she had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport to discuss the future of S4C before 20 October 2010.

David Jones: My right hon. Friend had several meetings with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (Mr Hunt) prior to 20 October regarding S4C and I have similarly had a number of meetings with my hon. Friend the Minister responsible for culture, communications and creative industries to discuss this matter. We are committed to a sustainable future of Welsh language broadcasting and will continue to have regular meetings in the future.
	S4C's settlement is fair and broadly proportionate to the cuts that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is being asked to make; it is not as challenging as some other public bodies are having to face.

S4C

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions she has had with  (a) S4C,  (b) the Welsh Assembly Government,  (c) BBC Wales and  (d) civil society organisations on the future of Welsh language broadcasting; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: My right hon. Friend and I have had numerous meetings relating to the financial future of S4C with various stakeholders. These include several meetings with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (Mr Hunt) and a number of meetings with my hon. Friend the Minister responsible for culture, communications and creative industries. We have also had regular conversations with S4C regarding this matter; and my right hon. Friend has discussed the issue with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of the Welsh Assembly Government during their bilateral meetings. We will continue to have such meetings regularly in the future.
	Following the CSR announcement, I can confirm that my right hon. Friend has had conversations with S4C and both the director of BBC Wales and the outgoing BBC trustee for Wales. I will shortly be meeting with Cymdeithas yr laith Gymraeg more formally to discuss this issue after having a brief discussion with them in July.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Building Regulations

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to increase the extent to which the provisions of Part M of the building regulations are complied with by those extending existing properties; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: Part M does not apply to an extension of, or a material alteration of, a dwelling. However, an extension of a dwelling, or a material alteration of a dwelling, must not make the building less satisfactory in relation to Part M than it was before.
	In considering the case for any change to the requirements of Part M we would need to review the practicalities, costs and benefits in detail. While I want to ensure that building regulations are proportionate and remain fit-for-purpose the Government are also committed to reducing regulation, including a one-in-one-out approach to managing costs.
	I initiated a review over the summer to consider options for changes to the building regulations including Part M (Access to and use of buildings); to identify what may be needed in ensuring they continue to operate effectively and to deliver ever better levels of compliance in the future.
	The review of building regulations typically operates on a three-year cycle to help the construction industry prepare for change and make it easier for designers, builders and owners to comply.
	Having sought views from a wide range of interested parties, and taking account of the responses to the Your Freedom and my Department's Cutting Red Tape websites, my officials are now analysing the responses and I am aiming to make a statement on this around the end of the year with a plan to fully consult in late 2011 on a set of detailed proposals for change in 2013.

Council Tax Benefits

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the role of the  (a) upper tier and  (b) second-tier authorities in (i) designing and (ii) administering council tax benefit under the proposed new arrangements.

Bob Neill: The Government are working to develop the new arrangements including the administrative implications.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 his Department has received since his appointment; what proportion of those requests resulted in a further request for an internal departmental review; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: In the period from 12 May 2010 to 29 October 2010 the Department for Communities and Local Government received 350 requests for information. In the same period the Department received 17 requests for internal reviews of its handling of requests, a proportion of just under 5%.
	In the corresponding period for 2009, the figures were 292 requests and 16 requests for internal review, a proportion of 5.5%.

European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to oral evidence taken by the Communities and Local Government Committee on 13 September 2010, HC 453-i, Q109, if he will place in the Library a copy of the invoice from EADS in respect of costs incurred in the course of its appearance before the Committee.

Bob Neill: holding answer 2 November 2010
	 The Department for Communities and Local Government's (DCLG's) contract with EADS includes the provision of a fixed amount of consultancy support for use by DCLG, regional entities and the fire and rescue service (FRS). This support may be used by DCLG, at its discretion, either for core project activities or to support individual FRSs. EADS wrote to DCLG in June 2010 with a detailed list of activities assigned to the contractually agreed consultancy support resource. Within this, EADS had assigned 20 consultant days worth of effort, at an average daily rate of £600 in relation to preparation for and appearance at the Select Committee Inquiry hearing in February 2010. DCLG has not authorised any effort associated with this activity to be assigned consultancy support and does not agree that it falls within the scope of core project activities. It is wholly inappropriate to use taxpayers' money in this way and we have refused to pay it. A copy of this list has been placed in the Library of the House.

European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company: Secondment

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to his oral evidence to the Communities and Local Government Committee on 13 September 2010, HC 453-i, Q109, what explanation he has received from EADS for its decision to locate seconded staff in temporary accommodation; what assessment he has made of the effect of that decision on the timetable for completing the contract; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: holding answer 2 November 2010
	 My officials were told that the move was necessary to enable EADS to relocate their teams to help deliver the project more efficiently. We have seen no evidence that the project is being delivered more efficiently as a result. Indeed, the move, which also involved removing access to the areas where the EADS teams work, has reduced my officials' visibility of the solution and our ability to provide the fire and rescue service with the assurance they need. Inevitably this has had a negative impact on the relationship between the Department for Communities and Local Government and EADS. It is much to be regretted.
	I have made it clear to EADS that, as the main contractor, they are required to deliver the system to time as well as cost and quality.

Government Office Network

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will commission an equality impact assessment before making an announcement on the future of the Government Office Network.

Greg Clark: holding answer 27 October 2010
	Further to my answers to the hon. Members for North Ayrshire and Arran (Katy Clark) and for Coventry South (Mr Cunningham) on 27 July 2010,  Official Report, column 1038 and 8 September 2010,  Official Report, column 531W respectively, equality issues have been considered and are being taken into account in the closure process. An equality impact assessment was commissioned and will take account of, inform and reflect the decisions on the closure of the Government office network as these are made. These include decisions on which functions will continue, and the arrangements for staff transfer, redeployment and release. Once the EqIA is complete a copy will be published through the normal channels and made available in both Libraries.

Government Office Network: Closures

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the savings which will accrue to the Exchequer consequent on the closure of the Government Office Network.

Greg Clark: holding answer 27 October 2010
	We anticipate that abolishing the GO Network will provide substantial savings to the Exchequer over the next four years. The precise figure will be determined following decisions that are taken on staff transfer and redeployment, following discussions with all interested parties. These are savings that will help to protect front line services.

Homelessness

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many families with children applied as homeless to each English local authority in each year since 2005; and in respect of how many such families a duty was accepted.

Grant Shapps: Summary information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected at local authority level, and published by the Department in the quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, available both in the Library of the House and via the DCLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/
	Information is collected on the number of households accepted as owed a main homelessness duty whose primary reason for priority need was the presence of children or a pregnant woman. A table showing this information for each local authority area in England in each year since 2005 has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Information is not collected on the makeup of households making applications for homelessness assistance that are not accepted.

Housing Revenue Accounts

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether present levels of uplifts on allowances will be retained under his proposed changes to the Housing Revenue Account.

Andrew Stunell: Under the present annual housing revenue account subsidy system allowances have been increased in line with the GDP deflator.
	On 5 October my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Housing and Local Government (Grant Shapps) stated that this present system was no longer fit for purpose and announced his intention to replace it with a system of self-financing through the Localism Bill. The spending review reaffirmed this commitment and stated that a key role for DCLG will be
	"reforming the council housing finance system so local authorities have greater control over their own finances, and can reinvest to meet local housing need".
	We will publish further details on the self-financing settlement shortly.

Rented Housing: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the density of dwellings per hectare was in respect of  (a) private and  (b) social rented sector housing built in Peterborough city council area in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: Land Use Change Statistics provides information on the density of new residential development but there is no breakdown available of density by tenure.
	For information on the density of all new housing in Peterborough I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 19 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 660-61W.

Shops: Disability

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to ensure owners of large chain stores are compliant with their obligations under the Building Regulations with respect to accessibility for people with disabilities.

Andrew Stunell: Part M (Access to and use of buildings) of the Building Regulations sets out requirements in relation to access and use, as well as provision of sanitary conveniences in buildings other than dwellings, including shops and retail outlets. The Building Regulations apply only where building work occurs, typically being the erection, extension or material alteration of a building, and are not retrospective. These requirements are supported by guidance in Approved Document M which sets out ways in which compliance can be demonstrated in the most common of circumstances.
	With all building work, meeting the requirements of the Building Regulations is the responsibility of the person carrying out the building work and, if they are not the same person, the owner of the building. Failure to comply with the relevant rules will result in the owner being liable for any remedial action.
	The responsibility for checking the Building Regulations have been met falls to Building Control Bodies-either from the local authority or the private sector as an approved inspector. The guidance contained in Approved Document M supports the building control service and others who use the system in their efforts to ensure compliance.
	We are not currently aware of any evidence that indicates significant issues with compliance in this specific area. If evidence of problems with compliance with any part of the Building Regulations emerges, we will consider the case for action-by Government or others.

Social Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many lettings of  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three and  (d) four bedroom homes were built in the social rented sector in the latest year for which figures are available; and how many such homes were (i) tenant transfers and (ii) let to homeless households.

Andrew Stunell: Information on the number of households receiving social housing is collected through the Continuous Recording of Letting form (CORE). Historically CORE has collected information only from registered social landlords, though a number of local authorities are now also providing information through this process.
	Information is collected on whether a property is a first let, i.e. new build, conversion, rehabilitation or acquired property. Separate figures for newly built properties are not available. This information is collected for general needs housing only.
	The following table gives the number of general needs first lets in 2008-09 as reported by registered social landlords: by number of bedrooms, by new or existing tenants, and by homelessness status. These figures exclude first lets by local authorities.
	
		
			Of which  Of which 
			  Number of bedrooms  First lets( 1)  New tenant  Tenant transfer  Statutory homeless  Other homeless  Not homeless 
			 1 5,206 3,532 1,674 900 218 4,088 
			 2 14,030 8,937 5,093 2,589 467 10,974 
			 3 7,177 3,365 3,812 1,153 141 5,883 
			 4+ 1,824 662 1,162 290 35 1,499 
			 Total 28,237 16,946 11,741 4,932 861 22,444 
			 - =( )less than 10. (1) The number of first lets within 2008-09 is not necessarily the same as the total completions of homes for social renting during the same period-because of the time lag between building completions and first occupation.qa Source: CORE letting returns (weighted). 
		
	
	Further information on social lettings is published in the live tables at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/rentslettings/livetables/

Social Rented Housing

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether his proposals for increased rents for new social tenants will include existing social tenants who move within the social rented sector;
	(2)  whether the proposed new form of social tenure with rents set at 80 per cent. of market level will be available to local authorities who retained their housing stock.

Grant Shapps: Existing tenants of local authorities and housing associations will retain their current tenancy and rent arrangements. We will publish more detail on the new 'affordable rent' tenure shortly.

Social Rented Housing: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average weekly social rent per household was for properties managed by registered social landlords in Peterborough city council area in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: Information is available per unit rather than per household. The average weekly rent per unit is available for general needs self-contained units owned and/or managed by registered social landlords. The average weekly rent as at 31 March each year from 1997 to 2010, in each local authority, each region, and in England, is published on the Department for Communities and Local Government website in Table 704. The link for this table is as follows:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/141632.xls

Social Rented Housing: Rents

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average rent paid by tenants in the social rented sector is for  (a) one-bed,  (b) two-bed,  (c) three-bed and  (d) four-bed properties in each local authority in England; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: Local authority rents information is collected on the DCLG Housing Revenue Account system in the Second Subsidy Claim Form. Information relates to estimated average actual rents per week charged on flats and houses for 2010-11 excluding service charges. The average may change over the year due to, for instance, stock disposals. Local authorities are asked to include rents information for flats and houses-this may include general needs and/or supported needs housing, housing for older people/sheltered housing, and may include dwellings that are self-contained or otherwise.
	Registered social landlord rents information is collected by the Tenant Services Authority on their annual Regulatory and Statistical Return survey. Data are collected as at 31 March 2010. Data are from registered social landlords that completed the long version of the Regulatory and Statistical Return and made a valid return, which in general includes those registered social landlords that own or manage 1,000 or more dwellings and/or bed spaces, including shared ownership dwellings. Data refer to general needs self-contained units only and service charges are excluded.
	A table has been placed in the Library of the House.

Social Rented Housing: Rents

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  in which local authority areas the average social rent is more than  (a) 90%  (b) 80% and  (c) 70% of the market rate;
	(2)  what datasets his Department uses in its  (a) national,  (b) regional and  (c) local assessment of market rents.

Grant Shapps: We will publish more information about the new affordable rent tenure shortly, including our proposals on rents.

Supporting People Programme

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding he plans to allocate to the Supporting People programme in each year between 2011 and 2015.

Andrew Stunell: The Supporting People programme national allocation (England) for the current financial year and each year of the spending review are:
	
		
			  Supporting People 
			   £ million 
			 2010-11 1,636.00 
			 2011-12 1,625.00 
			 2012-13 1,620.00 
			 2013-14 1,620.00 
			 2014-15 1,590.21

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many planning consents have been granted for wind farms not yet developed;
	(2)  what guidance his Department issues to planning authorities on taking into account prevailing wind speeds in determining planning applications for wind farms.

Bob Neill: According to the Renewable Energy Planning Database hosted by the Department of Energy and Climate Change there are 99 proposals for onshore wind farms in England which have been granted planning approval but have not yet become operational. The capacity of projects awaiting construction currently would represent an increase of nearly 80% in England's energy capacity from wind farms.
	Planning Policy Statement 22 on Renewable Energy advises that local planning authorities should not make assumptions about the technical and commercial feasibility of renewable energy projects and should not reject planning applications simply because the level of output is small. The supplement to Planning Policy Statement 1 on Climate Change also advises that planning authorities should not question the energy justification for why a proposal for renewable energy development must be sited in a particular location.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Council Tax Benefits

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely variation in the effects on different areas of proposed reductions in funding for council tax benefit.

Steve Webb: The Government are working to develop the new arrangements including the detailed administrative implications for local authorities which have yet to be determined.

Disability Living Allowance

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2010,  Official Report, column 646W, on social security benefits: Stirling, whether a household which includes a child in receipt of disability living allowance will be subject to the £26,000 cap.

Maria Miller: In recognition of disabled people's additional needs, all households with a disability living allowance claimant will be exempted from the benefits cap.

Disability Living Allowance: Care Homes

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people in residential care received the mobility component of the disability living allowance in each parliamentary constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people in residential care who are in receipt of the disability living allowance received the  (a) higher and  (b) lower rate of the mobility component in each parliamentary constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many people in residential care who are in receipt of the mobility component of the disability living allowance were under the age of 18 in each parliamentary constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: Reliable estimates of disability living allowance claimants in residential care homes are not available other than on a Great Britain wide basis. We estimate that approximately 60,000 people who claim DLA and live in residential care will be affected by this measure in Great Britain.

Disability Living Allowance: Care Homes

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment of the potential effects of the removal of the mobility component of the disability living allowance for people in residential care.

Maria Miller: The measure to cease paying mobility component of disability living allowance to people in residential care homes will be introduced as part of the forthcoming Welfare Reform Bill. In line with the Department's commitment to transparency, an equality impact assessment for Welfare Reform Bill measures such as this will be published on DWP's website alongside the Bill in due course.

Housing Benefit: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in housing benefit to individuals in Peterborough City Council area in each year from 1996-97 to 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The information is in the table.
	
		
			   Total housing benefit for Peterborough (£ million) 
			 1996-97 33.1 
			 1997-98 31.7 
			 1998-99 31.0 
			 1999-2000 31.2 
			 2000-01 31.6 
			 2001-02 32.0 
			 2002-03 33.3 
			 2003-04 32.7 
			 2004-05 32.3 
			 2005-06 36.7 
			 2006-07 40.0 
			 2007-08 46.4 
			 2008-09 49.1 
			 2009-10 59.5 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are in cash terms and presented to the nearest £0.1 million/£100,000. 2. Figures include all housing benefit, whether funded by central Government or by local authorities. 3. Figures are available on the DWP website at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/h_tables_budget2010.xls  Source: Local authority subsidy returns

Housing Benefit: Poverty

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in respect of how many households his Department expects income to fall below the 60 per cent. median poverty line as  (a) a result of the (i) proposed cap on housing benefit, (ii) uprating of housing benefit with reference to the consumer price index, (iii) cap in total household benefits and  (b) in total (A) nationally and (B) in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency in each of the next 10 years.

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in respect of how many households his Department expects income to fall below the 60 per cent. median poverty line as  (a) a result of the (i) proposed cap on housing benefit, (ii) uprating of housing benefit with reference to the consumer price index and (iii) cap on total household benefits and  (b) in total (A) nationally and (B) in Makerfield constituency in each of the next 10 years.

Steve Webb: All of this information is not available. The information we do have is detailed as follows.
	Initial estimates suggest that the housing benefit policies announced in the June 2010 Budget will not have a statistically significant impact on child poverty.
	The package of measures announced in the June Budget and being introduced for the local housing allowance in 2011-12, including the removal of the £15 excess planned by the previous Administration, will achieve savings of around £1 billion by 2015-16. The other changes to housing benefit announced in the June Budget are estimated to save a further £1.1 billion in 2015-16. Overall, this represents a reduction of 9% in the total 2015-16 expenditure on housing benefit.
	The reduction in housing benefit expenditure will reduce the amount customers receive from the Government towards their rent. However, the purpose of reform is to influence rent levels and housing choices, as well as to begin to address the disincentives to work in the current system created by high rates of benefit. These factors are likely, at least in part, to mitigate the impact of these measures on poverty.
	Also, the impact of the housing benefit measures should not be considered in isolation of the wider package of measures that have been announced, in particular the extra money distributed to families with children through the tax credit system.
	On 23 July, the Department published a document on 'Impacts of Housing Benefit proposals: Changes to the Local Housing Allowance to be introduced in 2011-12', which includes detailed analysis of the impacts of the June Budget measures at the local authority level. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library.
	Initial estimates suggest that the proposed benefit cap will not have a statistically significant effect on child poverty; the policy will affect relatively few households who already have a substantial income from benefit compared to the poverty line.

Housing Benefit: Scotland

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of households in  (a) Aberdeen South constituency,  (b) Aberdeen local authority and  (c) Scotland which will be affected by the proposed increase in the age threshold for the shared room rate in housing benefit from 25 to 35 years.

Steve Webb: We will publish a document on the impacts of the proposed changes to the shared room rate in due course. This will include information at the local authority level.

Housing Benefit: Supported Housing

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the proposed increase in the age of eligibility for the single room rate of housing benefit applies to supported accommodation.

Steve Webb: The age threshold for those in the private rented sector has never applied to those tenants receiving support from a landlord which is a housing association, registered charity, voluntary organisation or a county council.

Jobcentres: Depression

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that all jobcentre staff are trained to recognise the needs of people with depression.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is the responsibility of the chief executive, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what steps he is taking to ensure that all Jobcentre staff are trained to recognise the needs of people with depression. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus policy is to develop its staff in the skills required to support a range of customers and to respect their individual needs, including those related to their health conditions. This approach ensures that they are equipped to deal with a diverse set of circumstances whilst treating customers as individuals. Jobcentre staff ensure that job goals relate to the person's abilities, and that relevant solutions are identified in order to overcome any barriers a customer might face in a particular job.
	The learning programme for Jobcentre staff focuses on raising awareness of the customer's personal circumstances and the impact on their ability to move into a sustainable job. Staff are provided with guidance notes which include background information on a number of conditions, including depression, as well as guidance on the implications of health conditions on interviews and how to use questioning techniques in order to support customers. Jobcentre Plus also recognises that disabilities and health conditions can affect individuals in different ways, and will change over time.

Pensions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to publish the Green Paper on pensions; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: We recognise that the existing pension system is complex and difficult for many to understand. We are looking to publish proposals for reform in due course.

Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the cost to the public purse of appeals proceedings against work capability assessment decisions relating to employment and support allowance in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: Jobcentre Plus, an agency of the Department for Work and Pensions, is only responsible for an element of the appeal process against work capability assessment decisions relating to employment and support allowance (ESA). The majority of the process is handled by the Tribunal Service, part of the Ministry of Justice.
	For 2009-10, the Tribunals Service cleared 70,195 employment and support allowance appeals at an estimated cost of £20.6 million.
	Within Jobcentre Plus the annual direct staff administration cost of ESA appeals for 2009-10, the latest complete financial year, was approximately £7 million.
	The Government have a statutory commitment to an external independent review of the WCA every year for the first five years. The first of these reviews is currently being conducted by Professor Malcolm Harrington supported by a scrutiny group. The review is looking at the WCA in operation and is distinct from the recent Department-led review which focused on technical accuracy of the assessment.
	Additionally, Jobcentre Plus and the Tribunal Service are working together on a review of the appeals process with a view to streamlining, speeding up and improving the service provided to customers.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC: Finance

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department plans to review the governance arrangements for the BBC.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 25 October 2010
	Within the framework of the charter and agreement, the governance arrangements of the BBC are a matter for the BBC, with no provision for Government to intervene.
	The Government have, however, expressed reservations about the current governance arrangements and has encouraged the Trust to explore the scope for change within this framework.

Broadband: Wales

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport for what reasons the Llyn Peninsula was not included in the superfast broadband pilot areas announced on pages 65-66 of the Spending Review, Cm 7942.

Edward Vaizey: The location put forward by the Welsh Assembly Government for selection as a superfast broadband pilot was based on the extension of the existing FibreSpeed project. The assessment conclusion was that it provided less learning and testing opportunity for Broadband Delivery UK about different commercial approaches than the chosen locations.

Football: Females

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much funding his Department has allocated to grassroots football schemes for each year to 2013-14; and what proportion of such funds he plans to allocate for the development of girls' and women's football in each such year.

Hugh Robertson: Through Sport England the Department is providing the funding shown in the table to the Football Association's Whole Sport plan (WSP) to support the development of grassroots football up to 2012-13. This is part of a £25.6 million funding allocation over a four year period from 2009-10. The Department will also be providing funding to The Football Foundation, which helps to deliver new and improved community sports facilities in many towns and cities across the country.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Total WSP funding  Football foundation 
			 2010-11 8.3 12 
			 2011-12 5.4 10 
			 2012-13 5.5 10 
		
	
	Of the £25.6 million WSP four year funding allocation, £2.4 million will be exclusively for the development of girls and women's football. This amount was given to the Football Association as a total package to use over the four year period. A breakdown of the funding by year is not held by the Department or Sport England.
	Funding for the FA beyond 2012-13 has not yet been decided.

S4C: Finance

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will take to steps to ensure representation of the independent production sector in Wales in negotiations with the BBC Trust on S4C funding.

Edward Vaizey: Levels of funding for S4C were set out in the spending review and licence fee settlement. The views of the independent production sector in Wales will be taken into account as the partnership between S4C and the BBC Trust is developed.

S4C: Finance

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he plans to take to ensure S4C remains operationally independent of the BBC in  (a) editorial policy and  (b) remit.

Edward Vaizey: The Government are committed to the future of S4C as an independent service, retaining its editorial independence. The details of the partnership between S4C and the BBC are currently being developed.

S4C: Finance

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what arrangements he plans to make for the operational independence of S4C.

Edward Vaizey: The Government are committed to the future of S4C as an independent service. The details of the partnership between S4C and the BBC are currently being developed.

UK Sport: Finance

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what mechanisms are in place to provide for UK Sport's accountability to his Department for its funding for  (a) UK Athletics,  (b) other sports' national governing bodies and  (c) other sports organisations; and what steps UK Sport takes to monitor the value for money obtained from such expenditure.

Hugh Robertson: The Department's governance of UK Sport is set out in its Framework Document and Funding Agreement. Under the Funding Agreement UK Sport is accountable for the funding provided to sport national governing bodies, including UK Athletics, and other sports bodies. UK Sport reports formally to the Department on a quarterly basis, and Ministers hold an annual review with the Chair, in addition to meetings between myself and the chief executive each month.
	UK Sport has formal funding agreements with all bodies it funds which report annually against agreed key performance and key governance indicators. UK Sport also monitors the cash-flow spend against budgets for funded bodies on a quarterly basis, to ensure that they only receive funding as and when required and use it for the agreed purposes. All funded bodies are required to have their accounts fully externally audited each year.
	In addition, the performance of National Governing Bodies for Olympic and Paralympic sports is publicly assessed three times a year through UK Sport's "Mission 2012" performance management system.

TREASURY

Assets: Financial Services

Nick Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the future of publicly-owned assets in the banking and financial services sector.

Mark Hoban: UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI) manages the Government's investments in Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Lloyds Banking Group (LBG), Northern Rock and Bradford and Bingley (B&B) on an arm's length and commercial basis within its overarching objective of creating and protecting value for the taxpayer as stakeholders. The Government have made it clear that they are not a permanent investor in UK banks and that their intention, over time, is to dispose of all the investments in an orderly way. Because any decisions need to be taken in the context of changing economic and market conditions, UKFI do not think that it is possible or desirable to state hard goals such as time that would drive the sale of the Government's shares.
	The Treasury has restructured Northern Rock into two separate entities: Northern Rock plc (NR plc) and Northern Rock Asset Management (NRAM). At some point in future the Government will dispose of their stake in NR plc. Any disposal must secure the best possible return to taxpayers. This process is being led by UKFI and no timetable has been set for the disposal.
	NRAM and B&B are two similar businesses comprising closed mortgage books in wind-down. NRAM and B&B are being integrated under a single Government owned holding company, UK Asset Resolution Limited (UKAR). UKAR was fully established on 1 October 2010. The Government believe that integration is the optimal solution to maximise value for money.

Air Passenger Duty

Conor Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what differentials or exemptions are in place in respect of the operation of air passenger duty.

Justine Greening: Details of APD rates and exemptions are contained in Notice 550-Air passenger duty, which is available on the HMRC website:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk

Banks: Pay

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has had with banking organisations on the application of a portion of their 2010-11 bonus pool towards socially acceptable projects.

Mark Hoban: HM Treasury has not discussed application of 2010-11 bonuses to social projects with the banking sector. The Government welcome all efforts whether by businesses and individuals to contribute to the wider community.

Child Benefit

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households will be affected by the implementation of the proposed changes to the administration of child benefit in  (a) London,  (b) the London Borough of Lambeth,  (c) Streatham constituency and  (d) the UK.

David Gauke: Information on household income for Child Benefit claimants is not available at parliamentary constituency level or local authority level.
	The number of families in London that will be affected by the withdrawal of Child Benefit from higher-rate taxpayers from January 2013 is estimated to be around 250,000.
	The number of families in the UK that will be affected by the withdrawal of Child Benefit from higher-rate taxpayers from January 2013 is estimated to be around 1.5 million.

Disabled Persons Tax Credit: Ealing

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Ealing, Southall constituency are in receipt of disabled person's tax credit.

Justine Greening: The number of families with at least one disabled adult or child in the household in Ealing, Southall constituency and benefiting from one of the disability elements of tax credits, is 170.
	This information is based on snapshot data on the number of families benefiting from child and working tax credits, by each parliamentary constituency. It is available in the HMRC snapshot publication 'Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical Analyses. April 2010'. This can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-apr2010.pdf

Institute for Fiscal Studies

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in the last 24 months.

Justine Greening: The Treasury spent £12,500 in 2008-09 and £16,836 in 2009-10 on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Pregnant Women: Grants

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many mothers resident in Lewisham, Deptford constituency received the health in pregnancy grant in each year since its inception; and what expenditure the Government has incurred on the provision of such grants to date.

Justine Greening: Geographical analysis of the number of people benefiting from the Health in Pregnancy grant has not previously been undertaken and therefore this information is available only at disproportionate cost.

Revenue and Customs: Correspondence

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) issues to its staff on the use of its e-mail system to contact members of the public; and whether HMRC debt managers are authorised to use the HMRC e-mail system to contact  (a) hon. Members and  (b) members of the public.

David Gauke: HMRC has in place a range of guidance to staff on the use of e-mail. Some guidance relates to the whole Department and some to specific groups of staff. The high level policy is set out in HMRC's Information Management Manual which is available at:
	http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?nfpb=true&_pageLabeN pageLibrary_ShowContent&id=HMCE_PRODI_023469& propertyType=document
	This published guidance has however now been superseded. The Library material on the HMRC website will be updated shortly but in the meantime I have arranged for a copy of the current guidance to be placed in the Library of the House.
	HMRC takes the security of personal and business information very seriously. E-mail over the open internet is inherently insecure and for this reason HMRC does not routinely conduct business with members of the public or hon. Members by e-mail.
	In certain exceptional and limited circumstances, HMRC will consider doing so provided both the potential sender and recipient confirm that they clearly understand and accept the risks involved.
	Individual HMRC debt managers may be authorised to use external e-mail depending on business need but are required to comply with the overall e-mail guidance and policy.

Welfare Tax Credits

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of people moving from out of work benefits into employment he expects to become recipients of the  (a) basic,  (b) 30 hour,  (c) childcare and  (d) 50 plus element of working tax credit.

Justine Greening: The information requested is not available.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bangladesh: Climate Change

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will publish the agreement of 31 May 2010 between the UK and other European donors and the Bangladeshi government to establish the Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund.

Alan Duncan: The wish of the Government of Bangladesh is that the Memorandum of Understanding signed on 31 May 2010 is not published. We respect their wishes. The Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund will support implementation of Bangladesh's Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for 2009-18, by supporting vulnerable communities in adapting to greater climate uncertainty and changing agricultural conditions.
	I will arrange for further details to be deposited in the Library of the House.

UN Women's Agency: Finance

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding the Government plans to contribute to the UN women's agency in each of the next four years; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: The UK Government strongly support the establishment of the new United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, known as UN Women. This represents an important opportunity to raise the profile of gender in the UN system, close gaps in delivery at country level and make a real difference to the life of people on the ground.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) is reviewing funding to all multilateral agencies as part of the ongoing Multilateral Aid Review. A decision on funding for UN Women will be made when the Review concludes early next year.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Nurseries

Eleanor Laing: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many children have been enrolled at the House of Commons nursery to date; how many children attend; what assessment has been made of the performance of the nursery in enrolling children; if the House of Commons Commission will benchmark the nursery's performance in enrolment against industry averages for start-up nurseries; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Bell: The number enrolled is 17. Seven children are already attending, and the others enrolled will all be attending by mid-February 2011. When the nursery was being planned, advice from nursery providers was that it takes several years for a new nursery to reach the target level of capacity, and the number currently enrolled in the Commons nursery is higher than was expected by this stage. The Commission understands that benchmark figures are available and will seek to obtain and publish them. The nursery at the House of Commons was completed on time and within budget.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Departmental Official Gifts

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what  (a) hospitality and  (b) gifts officials of his Department have received from members of the British Wind Energy Association and Renewables UK in each year since its inception.

Gregory Barker: Since DECC was formed in October 2008, DECC representatives have received hospitality and gifts from British Wind Energy Association/RenewableUK, as part of their role speaking at conferences and seminars. The value of these is contained in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   British Wind Energy Association  RenewableUK 
			   Hospitality  Gifts  Hospitality  Gifts 
			 October 2008 to October 2009 120.00 35.00 1,161.20 68.00 
			 October 2009 to October 2010 235.00 0.00 235.00 275.00

Departmental Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what allowances and payments in addition to salary were available to officials in his Department and its non-departmental public bodies in each year since his Department's inception; and what the monetary value was of payments and allowances of each type in each such year.

Gregory Barker: The allowances and payments in addition to salary (excluding payments that are for the reimbursement of business related expenses) that have been available and paid to DECC staff since 1 April 2009 are detailed as follows.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008 bringing together staff from Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Information prior to 1 April 2009 cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
	An element of the Department of Energy and Climate Change's overall pay award is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. These payments are used to drive high performance and form part of the pay award for members of staff who demonstrate exceptional performance, for example by exceeding targets set or meeting challenging objectives.
	Allowances and other payments are used to recognise specific skills or responsibilities or to reward additional duties or costs. Each allowance has a set eligibility criteria.
	Where the total number of recipients is fewer than five, we have not provided information as they could be identified which would breach their confidentiality.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Allowance  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Overtime/travelling time pay 446,710 175,672 
			 Extra duty 3,909 3,139 
			 Night duty 2,618 568 
			 Night duty officers (1)- (1)- 
			 Meal allowance 535 164 
			 On call 29,215 15,474 
			 Standby (1)- (1)- 
			 Weekend duty press officer (1)- (1)- 
			 Market related recruitment and retention 66,000 0 
			 Temporary cover 316,530 85,149 
			 Private secretaries allowance 20,737 (1)- 
			 Overseas allowance 2,201 0 
			 Honorariums 6,000 (1)- 
			 Buy back of annual leave 20,182 12,522 
			 pay in lieu of notice 0 82,656 
			 Allowances paid to specialists 2,053,706 540,557 
			 Non consolidated performance awards 960,350 347,752 
			 (1) Less than five recipients 
		
	
	DECC's non-departmental public bodies have delegated authority to determine their own pay systems and allowances. The data in respect of the NDPBs are set out as follows.
	
		
			  Nuclear Decommissioning Authority 
			  £ million 
			  Allowance/payment  October 2008-March 2009  April 2009- April 2010 
			 Car allowance 0.58 1.21 
			 Relocation allowance 0.05 0.08 
			 Non consolidated performance awards 2.95 6.50 
		
	
	
		
			  Civil Nuclear Policy Authority 
			  £ 
			  Allowance/payment  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Responsibility allowances (temporary promotion, substitution, temporary duties, responsibility allowance) 94,247 39,317 
			 Security dog handling 94,874 96,417 
			 Housing allowance 788,678 733,320 
			 South-east allowance 164,534 207,331 
			 International allowance 83,109 110,536 
			 Overtime 3,902,953 4,705,274 
			 Home to duty allowance 441,997 496,617 
			 Market premia (1)90,519 (1)77,014 
			 Personal pay differential (1)- (1)- 
			 Home boarding (1)- (1)- 
			 Transitional rent allowance (1)- (1)- 
			 London weighting (1)- (1)- 
			 Night duty (1)- (1)- 
			 On call (1)- (1)- 
			 Shift (1)- (1)- 
			 Canteen subsidy (1)- (1)- 
			 Relocation allowances (1)- (1)- 
			 Excess fares (1)- (1)- 
			 Non consolidated performance awards 722,851 510,945 
			 (1 )Indicates brace. It is not possible to break down the costs of these individual allowances without incurring disproportionate costs. 
		
	
	
		
			  Committee on Climate Change( 1) 
			  £ 
			  Allowance/payment  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Non consolidated performance award payments 37,821 46,263 
			 (1) Created 26 November 2008. 
		
	
	
		
			  The Coal Authority 
			  £ 
			  Allowances  2009  2010 
			 Car allowance 44,277 47,331 
			 Non consolidated performance awards 377,700 287,250

Departmental Redundancy

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff of his Department have been offered enhanced early retirement packages in each of the last three years.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008.
	No DECC staff were offered enhanced early retirement packages from October 2008 to March 2009.
	Less than five DECC staff were offered enhanced early retirement packages in the financial year 2009-10.
	No DECC staff have been offered enhanced early retirement packages in the financial year 2010-11.

Public Expenditure

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's capital expenditure per head was in  (a) London and  (b) the North West in each of the last five years.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change capital expenditure per head in the regions of London and north-west are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Department of Energy and Climate Change capital expenditure per head by regions 
			  £ per head 
			  Region  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 London 4.4 6.4 6.0 8.4 9.7 
			 North-west 43.8 116.9 106.2 128.2 118.6

Public Expenditure

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much and what proportion of his Department's capital expenditure was allocated to  (a) London and  (b) the North West in each of the last five financial years.

Gregory Barker: The capital expenditure and its proportion allocated by the Department to the regions of London and north-west are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Department of Energy and Climate Change capital expenditure by regions 
			  Region  Capital expenditure expressed as:  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 London Monetary value (£ million) 33 48 46 64 75 
			  Percentage of total capital expenditure 2 3 3 3 4 
			
			 North-west Monetary value (£ million) 299 801 729 882 822 
			  Percentage of total capital expenditure 20 47 43 46 44

Renewable Energy

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average cost to  (a) small,  (b) medium and  (c) large manufacturing enterprises of obtaining 15 per cent. of their energy consumption from renewable sources.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State has published estimates of the average electricity bill impacts for medium-sized(1) non-domestic energy users of energy and climate change policies, including those policies necessary for reaching the 15% renewable energy target.
	The introduction of feed-in tariffs for small-scale electricity is estimated to increase average bills for this group by £24,000 in 2020 and extending the RO to meet the target is estimated to increase bills by £150,000 in 2020, a combined impact of 17% (source DECC (2010) "Estimated Impacts of Energy and Climate Change Police on Energy Prices and Bills", available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/what%20we%20do/uk%20energy%20supply/236-impacts-energy-climate-change-policies.pdf
	These estimates do not take account of the potential offsetting impact from wholesale prices pushing down wholesale electricity prices, which previous modelling by Redpoint for DECC suggested could be of the order of £6/MWh on average over the period 2010-20. They also do not take account of other energy and climate change policy changes announced in the spending review 2010.
	No separate assessment has been made of the bill impacts in the manufacturing sector, or of relating to small or large enterprises.
	The spending review 2010 announced that the Renewable Heat Incentive would be funded through general taxation, so it will not impact on consumer gas bills.
	(1) Size is defined here in terms of level of energy use.

Renewable Energy

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average annual sum charged by suppliers to domestic energy consumers which is attributable to the operation of renewable obligation certificates.

Charles Hendry: Ofgem, who administer the renewables obligation (RO), have estimated that for 2009-10 the cost of complying with the RO added around £12 to the annual household electricity bill.

JUSTICE

Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003: Prosecutions

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions have been brought under the provisions of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 in each year since its entry into force; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: There have been no prosecutions under the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 reported to the Ministry of Justice for England and Wales, from its introduction in March 2004, up to the end of 2009 (latest available).
	The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 is intended to help to prevent this unacceptable practice from happening in the first place. Research suggests a number of barriers to prosecution, including pressure from the family or wider community, lead to cases going unreported. Despite the lack of prosecutions to date, the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 provides a clear message that female genital mutilation is an unacceptable practice and illegal in England and Wales.
	A range of guidance has been issued to heighten awareness among all relevant professionals. The Home Office issued guidance to all chief officers of police in England and Wales on the investigation of cases of female genital mutilation when the Act came into force in 2004. The Association of Chief Police Officers incorporated female genital mutilation in guidance for police forces which was revised and reissued in 2008. The Crown Prosecution Service included female genital mutilation in its Policy for Prosecuting Cases of Domestic Violence, which was disseminated to all prosecutors by the end of 2008. This was accompanied by a modular training package which has been rolled out to all CPS areas.
	The Government appointed a cross government female genital mutilation coordinator in September 2009 and a number of initiatives have been implemented to improve the Government response to tackling female genital mutilation. Most recently, the Home Office, in partnership with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department of Health and Department for Education, have developed draft Multi-Agency Practice Guidelines to assist practitioners handling cases of female genital mutilation. These guidelines are open for consultation at:
	www.fco.gov.uk/fgm
	Following consideration of responses, we hope to publish these guidelines in spring 2011.
	Court proceedings data for 2010 are planned for publication in 2011.

Mercy Killing

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will hold a public inquiry on the merits of establishing an offence of mercy killing.

Kenneth Clarke: The Government have no plans to hold such an inquiry.

Remand In Custody: Young People

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 13 September 2010,  Official Report, columns 862-3W, on remand in custody: young people, how many and what proportion of juveniles remanded in custody were subsequently  (a) acquitted and  (b) given a non-custodial sentence in (i) magistrates and (ii) Crown courts in 2009.

Crispin Blunt: The estimated number and proportion of juveniles remanded in custody at magistrates courts and the Crown court in England and Wales in 2009 (latest currently available), who were subsequently acquitted or given a non-custodial sentence, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  The estimated number and proportion of juveniles( 1)  remanded in custody( 2)  who were subsequently acquitted, received a non-custodial sentence( 3) or a custodial sentence at magistrates courts and the Crown court, England and Wales 2009( 4) 
			   2009( 5) 
			   Juveniles  Percentage of juveniles( 4) 
			  Magistrates courts:   
			 Acquitted 339 15 
			 Non-custodial 977 44 
			 Immediate custody 888 40 
			
			  Crown court:   
			 Acquitted 237 17 
			 Non-custodial 239 17 
			 Immediate custody 918 66 
			 (1) Defined as being aged 10-17 at the date of appearance in court. (2) Includes those remanded in custody at any stage of proceedings at magistrates and Crown courts who may also have been given bail at some stage of those proceedings. (3) Magistrates courts figures exclude those committed for trial or sentence at the Crown court and those who failed to appear. Non-custodial sentences include discharges, fines, community sentences, and a number of other sentences that do not involve incarceration. Acquitted includes proceedings discontinued, discharged, withdrawn and dismissed. (4) Percentages here represent the proportions of all juveniles who were remanded in custody, excluding those where the outcome resulted in committal for trial or sentence by magistrates courts to the Crown court. (5) Data are estimates.  Notes: 1. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. It is known that in some police force areas, information on remand decisions is not always readily available to those coding court proceedings returns. In certain cases, the return may be mistakenly coded as if no remand had taken place. For magistrates court proceedings, the number of remands and more importantly, the number which are in custody, are believed to be under-recorded in total. As the breakdown of remands into bail and custody cases for a number of forces is not accurate for a number of forces, estimates have to be made to provide national figures. 2. Some percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.  Source: Prepared by Justice Statistics Analytical Services.

Squatting

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to amend legislation on squatting; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: We are considering whether the law in relation to squatting and the way it is enforced, should be strengthened, but we have not yet reached any firm conclusions.

Squatting: Evictions

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to extend the rights of property owners and local authorities to evict squatters from private property.

Crispin Blunt: We are reviewing with other Government Departments whether the law in relation to squatting and the way it is enforced, should be strengthened, but we have yet to reach a conclusion.

EDUCATION

Academies: Finance

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to his announcement of 1 September 2010, whether he plans to publish the academy school funding agreements he has signed with schools which are converting from outstanding maintained school status.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 14 September 2010
	All funding agreements are being published on the Department for Education's website:
	www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/fundingagreements

Libraries: Finance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future of library services following the outcome of the comprehensive spending review.

Edward Vaizey: I have been asked to reply.
	Local authorities in England fund and deliver library services. Policy responsibility rests with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. To help councils adapt to the current economic challenge and in anticipation of a tight spending review settlement for local government (distributed by the Department for Communities and Local Government), in the summer we announced a Future Libraries Programme that will help maximise the impact of available library budgets.
	The Museums Libraries and Archive Council (MLA) and the Local Government Association Group (LGA) are jointly leading the Future Libraries Programme. The programme is finding new ways to deliver library services without cutting the front line services that communities want and need. It provides the chance to try new and innovative methods like shared resources, different governance models and co-locating with other services. The latest information about this programme is available on the MLA website at
	http://www.mla.gov.uk/what/programmes/the_future_libraries_programme

Schools: Bristol

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on capital and revenue funding for St Ursula's School in Bristol.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 13 October 2010
	 We have received a number of representations about proposals for the future of the former St Ursula's Independent School. However, we have not received any representations on capital and revenue funding.

Schools: Finance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how much funding his Department has allocated to faith free schools;
	(2)  how much funding his Department has allocated to  (a) Anglican,  (b) Roman Catholic,  (c) Presbyterian and  (d) Methodist faith free schools.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 14 October 2010
	The Department has not yet allocated any funding available under the Free Schools programme to faith schools but I can confirm that my Department's remit only covers England.

Schools: Travel Advisers

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding he plans to allocate to school travel advisers in  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12.

Nick Gibb: School travel advisers in local authorities are jointly funded by the Departments for Education and Transport. The Department for Education's allocation in 2010-11 is £3,357,000. This funding is delivered to local authorities through the Area Based Grant mechanism, which was subject to a reduction of 23.96% following a departmental wide £670 million savings exercise earlier in this financial year. The Department's funding commitments for 2011-12 will be subject to the outcome of the comprehensive spending review.

Specialist Schools: Finance

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what sum his Department pays in capital grant to specialist schools following initial designation.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 October 2010
	 Following this year's initial designation round, the Department paid £20,000 to each of the newly designated specialist schools, representing a total of £2.32 million for the 2010-11 financial year. This excludes the 23 middle schools which joined the programme in partnership with an established upper school and which were not eligible to receive the capital grant.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices: Kingston upon Hull

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of the new apprenticeships announced in the comprehensive spending review 2010 will be located in Hull.

John Hayes: The comprehensive spending review confirmed that we will increase annual funding for adult apprenticeships by up to £250 million a year before the end of the spending review period. This is above the £398 million annual funding for adult apprenticeships inherited from the last Government. By 2014-15, this Government will have in place sufficient funding for 75,000 more adult apprenticeship places than the previous Government were providing.
	Apprenticeships are funded on a national basis through the Skills Funding Agency (SFA). There are no regional or local allocations. We do expect the SFA, working through the National Apprenticeships Service, to support employers, colleges and training organisations in Hull and across the country to make these additional apprenticeship places available where there is local demand.
	We will publish our plans for apprenticeships in our Skills Strategy and Skills Investment Strategy later this month.

Defence Equipment: Exhibitions

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what support his Department plans to give to companies attending the LIBDEX 2010 event in Tripoli in November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of such support;
	(2)  at which overseas exhibitions the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation plans to offer support to exporting companies in the period to 31 March 2011.

Mark Prisk: UKTI DSO will send a small team to LIBDEX 2010 to support UK industry as has been done at previous exhibitions in Libya. Attendance by staff from UKTI is aimed at providing continued support to UK defence and security companies seeking to win business in Libya following the lifting of the EU arms embargo in 2004. UK Government and industrial participation at LIBDEX 2010 will continue this policy as well as contributing to our desire to further develop the UK's bilateral relationship with Libya. The net cost of this attendance is estimated to be £55,000.
	UKTI DSO will also be providing support to UK companies in varying degrees at the following exhibitions:
	
		
			  Exhibition  Country  Dates 
			 Libdex Libya 8 to 11 November 
			 Indo Defence Indonesia 10 to 13 November 
			 Land Warfare Conference Australia 15 to 19 November 
			 IFSEC INDIA 2010 India 23 to 25 November 
			 Exponaval Chile 30 November to 3 December 
			 INTERSEC 2011 UAE 16 to 18 January 
			 Aero India India 9 to 13 February 
			 IDEX/NAVDEX Abu Dhabi 20 to 24 February 
			 Avalon Air Show Australia 1 to 6 March 
			 GSA Singapore 15 to 17 March

Financial Regulation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  on what date his Department consulted  (a) organisations representing the financial sector and  (b) the Financial Reporting Council on the Government's proposal to transfer the UK Listing Authority away from the Financial Services Authority;
	(2)  what representations he received from organisations representing the financial sector on the Government's proposals to transfer the UK Listing Authority away from the Financial Services Authority; and when those representations were received.

Edward Davey: In the period from 5 May to 26 July BIS Ministers and officials met with a wide range of organisations including the London Stock Exchange Group and the Financial Reporting Council as part of the usual policy making process. I have also met both bodies since HM Treasury issued the consultation "A new approach to financial regulation: judgment, focus and stability" on 26 July. While I have had no other meetings specifically on the consultation, I and my officials would have encouraged all interested parties to respond to the consultation.

Financial Reporting Council

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date his Department received representations from the Financial Reporting Council on the Government's proposals to transfer the UK Listing Authority away from the Financial Services Authority.

Edward Davey: In the light of my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary's Statement to Parliament on 17 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 1056-58 and in preparation for a meeting between them on 30 June, the chair of the Financial Reporting Council wrote to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 28 June on a wide range of issues, including potential synergies between the UK Listing Authority and the Financial Reporting Council. BIS Ministers were informed on 15 July of the FRC Board discussion that day. I also discussed the issues with the FRC when I saw them on 8 September.

Foreign Students

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many 18 to 30 year olds with UK nationality were estimated to be studying in universities in each country outside the United Kingdom in each of the last 20 years.

David Willetts: The UK, in common with other countries, does not collect data on outward-bound students but does collect them on inward-bound students. Hence, there is reliance on the figures reported by other countries to the main international agencies (OECD, Eurostat and UNESCO) for information about UK students studying abroad.
	The international agency databases go back as far as 1998, therefore earlier figures are not available. As countries compile data on foreign and/or international students in different ways, figures are not strictly comparable. The figures in the table cover all ages, as information by age group is not available.
	
		
			  Estimated number of UK students in higher education studying abroad 
			  Country  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Australia 5,339 (1)- 4,430 4,529 5,968 5,795 1,652 1,662 1,545 1,687 1,696 
			 Austria 206 188 214 214 173 175 186 180 194 200 243 
			 Belgium (1)- 239 210 231 235 234 270 238 210 251 241 
			 Canada 1,065 1,058 1,189 (1)- (1)- (1)- 2,498 (1)- 2,847 2,181 2,518 
			 Chile (1)- (1)- 6 28 38 56 (1)- 5 0 7 12 
			 Czech Rep. 177 207 228 241 231 237 265 334 363 405 410 
			 Denmark 369 403 374 388 401 425 450 466 471 479 472 
			 Finland 114 111 143 147 141 160 172 191 189 189 200 
			 France 3,411 3,192 3,147 2,721 2,545 2,998 2,611 2,299 2,570 2,595 2,519 
			 Germany 2,820 2,679 2,599 2,397 2,242 2,172 2,154 1,962 1,871 1,854 1,723 
			 Greece (1)- (1)- (1)- 0 4 7 14 19 85 106 102 
			 Hungary 15 33 (1)- 46 39 23 28 33 53 76 104 
			 Iceland 4 2 17 16 11 18 8 13 23 23 38 
			 Ireland 1,735 1,689 1,809 1,939 1,960 2,132 2,165 (1)- 1,196 2,282 1,421 
			 Italy 204 150 91 145 112 173 247 249 280 298 247 
			 Japan 259 295 319 350 349 361 403 393 350 400 421 
			 Korea, Rep. of 4 12 6 6 9 8 11 15 17 22 21 
			 Luxembourg 3 3 (1)- (1)- 0 0 0 0 4 0 7 
			 Mexico (1)- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Netherlands (1)- 670 661 648 628 603 590 731 772 802 827 
			 New Zealand 62 87 116 149 196 161 378 406 419 430 401 
			 Norway 375 376 373 371 354 343 337 331 345 343 306 
			 Poland 19 22 24 21 28 26 22 41 45 77 105 
			 Portugal (1)- (1)- 94 0 0 91 90 107 86 90 99 
			 Russian Fed. (1)- (1)- 0 0 0 0 (1)- 0 0 0 20 
			 Slovak Rep. (1)- 0 2 3 5 4 5 6 12 26 41 
			 Slovenia (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 2 0 1 1 
			 Spain 2,347 2,231 2,660 2,363 2,257 2,253 593 538 618 662 721 
			 Sweden 433 822 828 791 808 839 822 839 761 789 525 
			 Switzerland 298 312 299 295 298 326 356 379 387 364 402 
			 Turkey 151 154 149 128 117 114 162 106 117 102 104 
			 United States 6,744 7,148 7,376 7,059 8,414 8,414 8,326 8,602 8,568 8,625 8,376 
			 Total Reported 26,154 22,083 27,364 25,226 27,563 28,148 24,815 20,147 24,398 25,366 24,323 
			 Adjusted estimate(2) 23,024 23,753 23,809 23,116 24,203 24,798 24,815 24,597 24,398 25,366 24,323 
			 (1) Indicates that no data were supplied. (2) Figures adjusted for missing data and for methodological changes in reporting by individual countries.  Source: OECD on-line database

Higher Education: Cheshire

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people resident in Warrington North constituency entered higher education in the last 10 years for which figures are available, broken down by  (a) age,  (b) income decile of the student or their parents and  (c) council ward.

David Willetts: Information relating to the income decile of the student or their parents and council ward is not available. The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) broken down by age is provided as follows. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will be available in January 2011. Comparable figures for HE level courses in Further Education Colleges are not available.
	
		
			  Undergraduate entrants from Warrington North parliamentary constituency( 1)  by age group-UK Higher Education Institutions( 2) 
			  Academic years 1999/2000 to 2008/09 
			   Under 20  21 to  24  25 and over  Total 
			 1999/2000 330 45 175 550 
			 2000/01 350 40 180 570 
			 2001/02 355 40 175 570 
			 2002/03 375 70 195 640 
			 2003/04 420 70 295 785 
			 2004/05 400 70 225 690 
			 2005/06 430 75 260 765 
			 2006/07 475 70 245 790 
			 2007/08 415 75 205 695 
			 2008/09 465 90 225 780 
			 (1) Excludes entrants whose parliamentary consistency could not be established due to missing or invalid postcode information. (2) Excludes the Open University due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series.  Note: Figures are based on a 1 December snapshot and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Paternity Leave

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 October 2010, Official Report, column 335W, on paternity leave, what the future timetable is for his Department's consultation on long-term options for shared paternity leave.

Edward Davey: The Government are committed to encouraging shared parenting and making the workplace more family friendly. We will launch a consultation in due course on the design of a new system of flexible shared parental leave.

Royal Mail: Reorganisation

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has discussed with the Communications Workers Union or other employee representatives  (a) conversion of Royal Mail to a mutual society or co-operative and  (b) an employee-led buy-out of the business.

Edward Davey: I have met with both the CWU and Unite to discuss Royal Mail matters. Government have been clear that their policy for ownership of Royal Mail is to enable a sale of shares in the company in order to secure the future of both Royal Mail and the universal postal service, and as part of this to make available 10% of the equity for employees as part of the privatisation process. This was set out in the policy statement that we published alongside introduction of the Postal Services Bill on 13 October "Delivering for the future-a universal mail service and community post offices in the digital age". It can be viewed in the House Libraries or online at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/business-sectors/docs/d/10-1206-delivering-universal-mail-service-community-post-offices.pdf
	Neither the CWU nor Unite have raised with Government the possibility of either a mutualisation or employee buy out for Royal Mail. However, a mutualisation or employee-led buy out of Royal Mail is unlikely to give it the access to the commercial confidence and disciplines of private investors that it needs to allow the company to modernise faster and keep pace with the changes in the market.

Technology Strategy Board: Finance

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much of its budget for 2008 to 2011 the Technology Strategy Board allocated to  (a) new and  (b) ongoing long-term projects.

David Willetts: The Technology Strategy Board will spend around £328 million on new projects and £302 million on ongoing legacy projects in the period 2008-11. These costs are largely in the area of collaborative R&D projects which are typically of three years duration.
	The Technology Strategy Board also funds Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, which are of one to three years duration, and Knowledge Transfer Networks at a cost of £87 million and £55 million respectively for the period 2008-11.

Tobacco Industry

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effects on independent retailers of the implementation of provisions of the Health Act 2009 in respect of the prohibition of tobacco displays since his Department's initial consultation and impact assessment; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: BIS has worked closely with all the leading retail trade associations (the Association of Convenience Stores, the National Federation of Retail Newsagents and the British Retail Consortium) to ensure that the effects on retail businesses of the implementation of the tobacco display provisions in the Health Act 2009 are well understood. These retail trade organisations have provided information and evidence in respect of the estimated one-off costs of compliance and the annual costs as well as the wider impact of tobacco retail practices. This information has been routinely shared with the Department of Health which of course leads in this policy area.

UK Listing Authority

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on proposals to transfer the UK Listing Authority away from the Financial Services Authority; and on what dates those discussions took place.

Edward Davey: My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Vince Cable) and the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr Osborne) have such frequent discussions on a wide range of issues that it would not be practical to provide details.

Working Conditions: Public Sector

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future of rules on  (a) transfer of undertakings and  (b) two-tier working in respect of employees leaving public sector employment.

Edward Davey: The Government currently have no plans to revise the transfer of undertakings regulations (protection of employment) regulations (TUPE). However my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Mr Maude) who has responsibility for to the Code of Practice on Workforce Matters in Public Sector Service Contracts, often referred to as the Two Tier Code has sought the views of interested parties including trade unions and employers groups with a view to abolishing the code. A decision will be made by the Government in due course.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Colombia

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of investigations into the conduct of the Vice-President of Colombia during his tenure as governor of Valle del Cauca.

Jeremy Browne: On 13 October 2010 the Colombian Public Ministry asked the Attorney-General's Office to re-open an investigation into the conduct of Vice-President Angelino Garzón during his time as governor of Valle del Cauca. A previous investigation was opened and then closed in 2005 because the denouncing prosecutor, according to Colombian law, did not have the competence required to carry out an investigation against a governor. The Attorney-General's Office has yet to respond to the request.

Colombia

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the killing of Edgar Bohorquez in Colombia; and whether his Department has made representations to the Colombian government on this matter.

Jeremy Browne: Our embassy in Bogota has received reports that Mr Bohorquez was murdered on 24 September 2010 while driving a motorcycle with his son, who was also shot and remains in a critical condition. On 29 September Colombia's human rights ombudsman called on the authorities to conduct a full investigation. On 2 November 2010 the embassy wrote to the Presidential Programme for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law to raise Mr Bohorquez's case. We will continue to monitor the investigation and raise the matter with the Colombian authorities again should it prove necessary.

Colombia

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice he has received on representations to the Colombian authorities in the case of the imprisonment of Liliany Obando.

Jeremy Browne: We have made several representations to the Colombian Government in the case of Liliany Obando. Staff at our embassy in Bogota wrote to Carlos Franco, Director of the Human Rights Presidential programme in Colombia on her behalf on 5 March. On 24 March the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombia informed officials at our embassy in Bogota that Mrs Obando continues to be imprisoned at El Buen Pastor. We have also been informed that the Public Ministry Office (Procuraduria) is involved in her case to guarantee the impartiality and independence of her legal process.
	Our embassy in Bogota will continue to monitor the proceedings of this case and raise it again with the Colombian authorities should it prove necessary.

Departmental Manpower

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials his Department has appointed on fixed-term contracts since 7 May 2010.

Alistair Burt: Since 7 May 2010 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has appointed six people on fixed-term contracts, in accordance with the rules set out by the Civil Service Commissioners.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 29 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 37-8WS, on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office: programmes, what further reductions in expenditure his Department plans to make to achieve the in-year reductions he proposes.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is determined to deliver the best possible service to the UK taxpayer at the lowest possible cost, while contributing to the Government's goal of reducing the budget deficit. Where there is scope for further cuts, efficiencies and reforms to deliver better for Britain we will make them.
	These efficiencies and reforms include:
	reduced spend on consultancy and other support functions;
	more collaborative procurement with other Departments who have a presence overseas, such as the Department for International Development; and
	where circumstances permit, further asset sales in parts of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's overseas estates.
	The money saved will help sustain the UK's front-line diplomatic work and our global network of posts, and contribute to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's £55 million in-year cuts.

Hamas

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives his Department has set for its policy on Hamas.

Alistair Burt: The UK, along with its international allies, continue to call on all parties in the region including Hamas to refrain from any activity that could undermine the search for a just and lasting settlement.
	We call on Hamas to take immediate and concrete steps towards the Quartet principles and to end its interference with the operations of non-governmental organisations and UN agencies in Gaza. We also call for the unconditional release of Gilad Shalit, who has been held in captivity for four years.

Iran: Politics and Government

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives his Department has set for its policy on Iran.

Alistair Burt: The central objective of our policy is to stop Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. To this end, my Department is playing a leading diplomatic role in an internationally-agreed strategy of pressure in the form of sanctions, and engagement, to persuade Iran to resolve the concerns over its nuclear programme.

Iran: Sanctions

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will consider the merits of introducing unilateral economic sanctions against Iran.

Alistair Burt: We are fully committed to using engagement and targeted pressure to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue, and have supported UN and EU sanctions as part of this approach. Our clear preference is for multilateral sanctions which have the widest impact. We will consider additional national measures where we assess these will be effective.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Israel and the Palestinian National Council on the situation of members of the Palestinian legislature; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK continues to follow Israeli detention operations closely and monitor the situation of Palestinian prisoners. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to take immediate action to ensure all cases are reviewed by a court in accordance with fair procedures and that their rights, particularly the rights to a fair trial and family visit, should be upheld.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of  (a) rockets and  (b) mortar bombs launched into Israeli territory from (i) Lebanon and (ii) Gaza since 1 January 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: holding answer 2 November 2010
	According to the Israeli Defence Force there have been 122 rockets and 87 mortars fired from Gaza at the state of Israel and zero mortars and rockets from Lebanon.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives his Department has set for its policy on the Middle East peace process.

Alistair Burt: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary (Mr Hague) has made clear, we will do all that we can to support progress towards a two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This conflict matters to British national security and we will take every opportunity to help promote peace.
	We want to see a sovereign, viable and contiguous Palestinian state living in peace and security alongside a safe and secure Israel and their other neighbours in the region, based on the borders of 1967, with Jerusalem the future capital of both states and a fair settlement for refugees.
	Direct talks are a vital opportunity to make progress. We look to Israel to renew the settlement moratorium so that talks can continue.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the UN Relief and Works Agency on the  (a) education of school children in and  (b) importation of building materials into Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have regular contact, in London and in the region, with the UN Relief and Works Agency regarding a number of issues related to Gaza, including reconstruction of schools and import of key materials. We welcome the steps that Israel announced in June to improve access to Gaza. But we want to see further progress to speed up reconstruction and secure real change on the ground.

Tariq Aziz

Kris Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Iraqi Government on commuting the death sentence on Tariq Aziz; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. Together with EU partners, we promote the abolition of capital punishment around the world.
	We repeatedly make our opposition known to the Iraqi authorities at senior levels. The Charge d'Affaires at our embassy in Baghdad wrote to the Iraqi Prime Minister's office on 21 October 2010 outlining our opposition. Along with 22 other countries the UK raised concerns over the use of the death penalty in Iraq during Iraq's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council in February 2010. On three occasions in 2009, we joined other EU member states in delivering demarches to the Iraqi Government against the death penalty.
	However, trials are held in accordance with Iraqi law and we support Iraq's sovereign right to bring to justice those accused of crimes against the Iraqi people.

Yemen: Visits Abroad

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Ambassador of Yemen on plans for a Ministerial visit to Yemen.

Alistair Burt: The travel plans of Ministers are not for public disclosure for security reasons. I can, however, tell you that I visited Yemen in June and intend to follow up this very productive visit with a further trip. You will be aware of the terrorist attacks on British embassy vehicles on 26 April and 6 October and more recently heightened international concerns about the threat posed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula in Yemen and to the west. This threat will be taken into consideration when planning any future visits. I have met His Excellency Abdulla Ali Al-Radhi, the newly appointed Yemeni ambassador to the Court of St James, and have restated my intention to further develop the UK-Yemen bilateral relationship.

DEFENCE

Peacekeeping Operations: Middle East

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the number of civilian deaths in Iraq consequent on actions by  (a) coalition forces and  (b) insurgents since March 2003.

Liam Fox: The Ministry of Defence does not collate figures for civilian casualties in Iraq. The prevention of civilian casualties was of paramount concern to force commanders operating in Iraq and the risk of this occurring was minimised at all times by the tactics and training of our forces.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on offering incentives to  (a) tribal leaders and  (b) other individuals or organisations in Afghanistan to secure the safe passage of convoys.

Liam Fox: Ministry of Defence policy is not to offer incentives to any individual or organisation in Afghanistan in an attempt to secure the safe passage of its convoys.

Aircraft Carriers

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what methodology his Department used to estimate the relative cost to the public purse of  (a) cancelling the order for the proposed second aircraft carrier and  (b) building it; and if he will place in the Library a copy of his correspondence with BAE Systems on that matter.

Peter Luff: The National Security Council received advice on the aircraft carrier construction programme as part of the strategic defence and security review (SDSR) process. BAE Systems separately wrote to the Prime Minister setting out the company's assessment of costs. The Government's conclusions have been fully explained in the SDSR, which was published on 19 October.

Armed Forces: Investigations

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what investigation his Department conducted into an incident on 15 November 2006 in Helmand Province in Afghanistan in which a Royal Marines Commando patrol reportedly fired warning shots at a white Hilux vehicle, resulting in the death of two civilians and two civilians being wounded; when that investigation was conducted, which part of his Department conducted that investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of that investigation;
	(2)  what investigation his Department conducted into allegations relating to the conduct of Coldstream Guards in Afghanistan in October and November 2007; when the investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted this investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(3)  what investigation his Department conducted into an incident on 6 November 2007 in Kabul in which a son of an Afghan general was reportedly killed by a warning shot from an unidentified UK company; when this investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(4)  what investigation his Department conducted into the incident on 25 October 2007 in Kabul, in which a vehicle reportedly failed to stop for an unidentified patrol and a warning shot was reportedly fired by a British soldier; when the investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(5)  what investigation his Department conducted into the incident on 21 October 2007 in Kabul, in which an unidentified British vehicle with a gunner on top reportedly wounded three civilian interpreters; when this investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(6)  what investigation his Department conducted into the incident on 4 October 2007 in Kabul, in which British soldiers reportedly wounded a non-combatant with a warning shot; when the investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(7)  what investigation his Department conducted into the incident on 10 November 2009 in Helmand province in which a patrol of 1 Company Coldstream Guards reportedly killed a driver who failed to stop; when the investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(8)  what investigation his Department conducted into the incident on 14 October 2008 in Helmand province, in which Y Company 45 Commando Royal Marines reportedly hit a motorcyclist at a roadblock; when the investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(9)  what investigation his Department conducted into the incident on 12 March 2008 in Helmand province, in which ambushed troops reportedly called in gunships after a soldier was wounded; when the investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(10)  what investigation his Department conducted into the incident on 19 November 2008 in Helmand province in which soldiers from J Company, 42 Commando Royal Marines, reportedly fired warning shots at a vehicle approaching a convoy; when the investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(11)  what investigation his Department conducted into the incident on 26 March 2009 in Helmand province in which W Company, 45 Commando Royal Marines, reportedly shot and wounded a motorcyclist observing the patrol; when the investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(12)  what investigation his Department conducted into the incident on 3 January 2009 in Helmand province in which British mentors with the Afghan army allegedly fired a warning rifle shot at a suspicious person; when the investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(13)  what investigation his Department conducted into the incident on 19 January 2009 in Helmand province in which Y Company, 45 Commando Royal Marines, called in a Reaper drone to launch a missile on alleged Taliban; when the investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(14)  what investigation his Department conducted into the incident on 27 January 2009 in Helmand province in which W Company, 45 Commando Royal Marines, reportedly shot at two people watching the patrol; when the investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(15)  what investigation his Department has conducted into the incident on 4 December 2008 in Helmand province in which W Company, 45 Commando Royal Marines, reportedly shot and wounded a man; when the investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(16)  what investigation his Department conducted into the incident on 24 December 2009 in Helmand province in which L Company, 42 Commando Royal Marines, reportedly shot at an approaching vehicle; when the investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(17)  what investigation his Department conducted into the incident on 30 December 2009 in Helmand province in which W Company, 45 Command Royal Marines, reportedly fired a warning shot at a white van; when the investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation;
	(18)  what investigation his Department conducted into the incident on 29 November 2008 in Helmand province in which a police patrol mentored by UK troops reportedly shot at a vehicle driven by another Afghan policeman; when the investigation was conducted; which part of his Department conducted the investigation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation.

Liam Fox: holding answer 27 October 2010
	We deeply regret all civilian casualties. Protecting the Afghan civilian population is a cornerstone of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)'s mission, and all British troops undergo comprehensive training on the strict rules of engagement. Where incidents do occur, procedures are in place to ensure they are promptly reported to the chain of command and follow-up actions take place in accordance with ISAF and UK national procedures. This contrasts directly with the attitude of the insurgents, whose indiscriminate use of suicide bombs, roadside explosive devices and human shields cause the majority of civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan. We will continue our efforts to prevent insurgents harming civilians and to develop the capacity of Afghan security forces to protect the population.
	The records relating to the follow-up actions taken following these incidents are not held centrally by the Department and will take time to identify. I will write to the hon. Member once work has been completed.

Challenger Tanks

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Challenger 2 tanks will remain in service after 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The strategic defence and security review has determined that the number of Challenger 2 tanks in service with the army should reduce by around 40% by April 2011. The precise number of tanks which will be taken out of service will be determined by further, more detailed work into the overall fleet requirement, taking into account factors such as the withdrawal from Germany, revised fleet management options and updated training requirements.

Defence Equipment

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many major military equipment programmes have been cancelled between Initial Gate and Main Gate stages in the last 20 years.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence's current acquisition process, where projects undergo two investment decision points, was introduced in 1998. Initial Gate seeks approval to undertake the detailed development and an assessment of available options to meet a capability gap. Following Initial Gate projects seek Main Gate approval to proceed with the demonstration and manufacture of their recommended option. Main Gate is the major investment decision, whereas Initial Gate ensures that only projects which meet a requirement and are likely to be deliverable are allowed to continue.
	Equipment projects are generally categorised by their value with the largest projects, those in 'Category A', usually worth over £400 million through life. No record since 1998 can be found of any Category A equipment project being cancelled between the Initial Gate and Main Gate decision points.

Defence Reform Unit

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the terms of reference are of his Department's Defence Reform Unit.

Liam Fox: The terms of reference are available from the Ministry of Defence's website at the following link:
	http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/F0996135-B43D-44EA-80CE-F0754743C516/0/20100920_DefenceReform_TORs_finalU.pdf

Defence Reform Unit: Finance

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of his Department's Defence Reform Unit.

Liam Fox: There are no additional costs to the Defence Budget as a result of the Defence Reform Unit. None of the Steering Group, which Secretary of State has appointed under the chairmanship of Lord Levene, to lead the work are being paid for this task. No consultants have been contracted to work on Defence Reform. The team supporting the steering group from within the Ministry of Defence have been temporarily redeployed from other tasks.

Defence: Procurement

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what timescale he has set for the conclusion of the defence reform review.

Liam Fox: The defence reform unit's review aims to report in July 2011 although implementation will take longer.

Departmental Buildings

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) surplus land and buildings and  (b) telecommunications spectrum and corporate assets his Department plans to sell following the recommendations of the strategic defence and security review.

Liam Fox: The strategic defence and security review (SDSR) considered the scope for rationalisation of the estate and identified further opportunities: these include the withdrawal of personnel from Germany; closure of some Main Operating Bases; and the creation of tri service Defence communities that will form regional hubs of Defence capability and support activities. No decisions have yet been made regarding the potential sale of any surplus land and buildings.
	MOD is currently evaluating its spectrum holdings between 70 MHz and 15 GHz to prepare for an initial release of spectrum in late 2012. This evaluation work will conclude in spring 2011 and a planned timetable of spectrum releases will be published shortly thereafter. In the meantime, MOD will publish a supplementary statement to its Implementation Plan for Spectrum Reform and details regarding a future possible project for industry to assist MOD trade spectrum in the market.
	As announced as part of the SDSR findings, the Department intends to sell the Defence Support Group and the Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department plans to allocate to  (a) the Stabilisation Aid Fund,  (b) the Conflict Prevention Pool,  (c) the Discretionary Peacekeeping Fund,  (d) the Special Reserve and  (e) the security and intelligence fund for (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14 and (v) 2014-15.

Liam Fox: holding answer 28 October 2010
	The Conflict Pool was formed by the merger of the Stabilisation Aid Fund and the Conflict Prevention Pool on 1 April 2009.
	The Conflict Pool does not routinely draw resources from departmental budgets. The provision is part of a separate HM Treasury settlement on conflict resources which is managed jointly by the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). We expect to announce detailed allocations for Conflict Pool activity for 2011-12 in the coming weeks.
	The Peacekeeping Budget provides resources to cover the United Kingdom's legally binding commitments on assessed peacekeeping costs. This is similarly provided as a separate settlement; Departments do not make additional contributions to this budget.
	The MOD does not contribute funds to the Reserve, the administration of which is an HM Treasury responsibility. The MOD is a net recipient of the Reserve, which is used for paying the net additional costs of military operations such as those in Afghanistan. The MOD has published its Request for Resources from the Reserve for 2010-11 in the Parliamentary Main Estimates.
	There is no security and intelligence fund. There is, however, a Single Intelligence Account which funds the business of the Intelligence and Security Agencies and from which the MOD is reimbursed for some of the services it provides.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of its joint strike fighter order;
	(2)  how many joint strike fighters he intends to order;
	(3)  what the cost to his Department will be of reducing the number of joint strike fighters ordered;
	(4)  what the cost to his Department will be of changing the type of joint strike fighters ordered for the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers.

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many Joint Strike Fighter jets he intends to order in the next five years;
	(2)  which air-launched weapons he intends will complement the joint strike fighter, as referred to in 'Securing Britain in an Age of Uncertainty'.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many F-35C joint strike fighters will be purchased; at what unit cost; and what the in-service date will be.

Peter Luff: We remain absolutely committed to the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme, which will provide a world-beating aircraft, able to operate from both the sea and land, ideally suited for our future capability needs.
	In the first instance, we intend to buy enough JSF aircraft to build up our carrier strike capability, and to operate a balanced fleet of JSF and Typhoon aircraft in the medium to long term. We will confirm the exact number of aircraft in our initial buy at the time of our main investment decision, in line with usual practice.
	The decision to purchase the Carrier Variant offers advantages in terms of interoperability with allies, range, and pay load and through life costs over the Short Take Off and Vertical Landing variant, and we are seeking to minimise any delay resulting from the change of variant. We will bring JSF into service, initially in the land environment, and then to deliver a carrier strike capability from around 2020. The aircraft will be equipped with a range of advanced air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, the exact mix of which will be optimised to reflect the operational requirement.
	We have previously committed to purchasing three JSF which will be used for Initial Operational Test and Evaluation. No further orders have been placed. Our changed plans will not therefore incur cancellation costs to the Department. We currently assess that the decision to procure the Carrier Variant will reduce the forecast cost of the JSF programme since the Carrier Variant is likely to be cheaper both to procure and to support through life than the Short Take Off and Vertical Landing variant, which we had previously been planning to buy. The cost of each aircraft depends on when in the overall production programme it is bought and will vary according to a number of factors, such as other partner nations' procurement plans. We do not routinely reveal the forecast cost of future programmes in order to protect the Department's position in commercial negotiations.

Marines

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will hold discussions with representatives of the Merchant Navy on the potential for deployment of Royal Marines on merchant ships to counter piracy; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The UK Government are in constant dialogue with representatives of the UK shipping industry. The Government continue to encourage the shipping industry to adopt the best management practices (BMP) advice endorsed by the International Maritime Organisation. It provides specific advice to global shipping on how to prevent, deter and delay acts of piracy off the Horn of Africa, notably through inexpensive and simple self-protection measures, as well as through advice on course and speed. We encourage all UK shipping to register with the Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa and transit through the Internationally Recognised Transit Corridor.
	The UK Government discourage the carriage and use of firearms on board UK registered ships engaged in routine cargo transport. This position is supported by the UK Chamber of Shipping.
	The volume of shipping in higher threat areas would make the provision of sufficient trained and equipped Vessel Protection Detachments prohibitive. Operationally, the Ministry of Defence judges that in most cases the use of Vessel Protection Detachments is not an effective use of military counter piracy resources.

Marines: Manpower

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely effects on the Royal Marines of his proposed reduction in the strength of the Royal Navy; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The Royal Marines will bear a share of the reduction in naval manpower of about 5,000 announced in the strategic defence and security review, though the exact numbers have yet to be determined. There will be no impact on 3 Commando Brigade's ability to conduct operations in Afghanistan.

Marines: Manpower

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his proposed reduction in Royal Navy personnel will be to Royal Marine personnel; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such reductions in personnel on recruitment into the  (a) Special Air Service and  (b) Special Boat Squadron.

Nick Harvey: The Royal Marines will bear a share of the reduction in naval manpower announced in the strategic defence and security review, though the exact numbers have yet to be determined. It is a long standing policy of the Government not to comment on matters concerning special forces.

Merlin Helicopters

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many AW101 Merlin ASaC helicopters he plans to order;
	(2)  what the in-service timetable for the AW101 Merlin ASaC helicopters is.

Peter Luff: The future Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASaC) capability is currently in the assessment phase. The Ministry of Defence is continuing to mature its plans for delivering this capability from within the existing Merlin force. The Department will not make a decision on numbers or the in-service date until the Main Gate investment decision point.

Navy: Manpower

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what means he plans to reduce the strength of the Royal Navy by 5,000.

Nick Harvey: While we expect that part of the reduction will be achieved through natural turnover, we intend to introduce a redundancy scheme to deliver the remaining manpower changes. This will aim to ensure that the Royal Navy maintains the balance of skill, experience, ability and seniority required to deliver operational capability.

Nuclear Submarines

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  under what budgetary headings he expects the one billion pounds of savings in infrastructure costs for the strategic nuclear deterrent identified in the strategic defence and security review to arise;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the outcome of the strategic defence and security review on infrastructural improvements to  (a) the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston,  (b) HM Naval Base Devonport and  (c) HM Naval Base Clyde.

Liam Fox: Within the value for money review's outcomes as set out in the strategic defence and security review (SDSR), it was agreed to defer and potentially to remove over £1 billion of future spending on infrastructure over the next 10 years.
	This activity is split into submarine-related work and work related to the command and control of the nuclear deterrent, often referred to as the nuclear firing chain. Infrastructure work at the Atomic Weapons Establishment is part of the Nuclear Weapon Capability Sustainment programme and is outside the scope of the expected £1 Billion savings/deferrals.
	The Ministry of Defence made estimates of the cost savings accrued from measures in the SDSR for the purposes of formulating policy. Some of these have been published to help inform the public debate. Release of further detail may prejudice the MOD's negotiating position with its commercial suppliers. Furthermore, final savings figures will depend on detailed implementation. The MOD is therefore not prepared to release more detailed figures at this time.

Nuclear Submarines

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the adequacy of the protective clothing of nuclear submariners to resist the penetration of their clothing by liquid radioactive contaminants arising from incidents on board nuclear-powered submarines.

Peter Luff: Submariners are not required to wear specialist protective clothing for the day-to-day operation of nuclear powered submarines. Personal protective equipment is provided for use by crew members in the highly unlikely event that they are exposed to liquid radioactive contaminants resulting from an incident on board submarines. This equipment meets the appropriate European Mark and British Standards for Personal protective equipment.

RAF Feltwell: Ballistic Missile Defence

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether RAF Feltwell  (a) forms part of and  (b) provides support services to the US Missile Defense system.

Nick Harvey: RAF Feltwell does not form part of, or provide support services to, the US Missile Defense system.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the name is of each  (a) individual, group and organisation consulted on and  (b) respondent who submitted evidence or comments to the strategic defence and security review.

Liam Fox: holding answer 1 November 2010
	I invited contributions to the strategic defence and security review (SDSR) in July 2010. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) received over 6,000 responses from MPs, members of the armed forces, public servants within and beyond defence, industry, academics, and the public. The MOD also engaged a wide variety of external organisations during the SDSR including NATO, principal UK and international think tanks and academic institutes, NGOs, industry organisations, and service veterans' and families' organisations.
	The Department did not ask those individuals or organisations whether they would be content for their names to be published, and therefore does not intend to release them.

Submarines

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he expects to make the Initial Gate decision on the Future Submarine Project.

Liam Fox: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 July 2010,  Official Report, column 447W, to the hon. Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Katy Clark).

Trident

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the projected  (a) discounted and  (b) undiscounted nuclear decommissioning costs for Trident replacement.

Liam Fox: The costs of nuclear decommissioning of the successor submarines are dependent on a number of decisions that have yet to be taken, including decisions outside the successor project. Forecasts for these costs will be included in the project's Whole Life Costs that will be prepared ahead of Main Gate.

Trident

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the running costs of Trident replacement in each of the first five years of its operation.

Liam Fox: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 June 2010,  Official Report, column 77W, to the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Dr Whiteford).

Warships: Decommissioning

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has decided which Bay-class ship is to be decommissioned; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Bay-class amphibious support ship his Department plans to decommission.

Peter Luff: No final decisions have been taken. Work is taking place to determine which elements of the surface fleet will be decommissioned or placed at extended readiness, the outcome of which will be announced around the turn of the year.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been  (a) made and  (b) breached by people resident in St Albans constituency in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: Data collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued and breached are collated at Criminal Justice System (CJS) area level, rather than for residents of specific towns. St Albans is in the Hertfordshire CJS area.
	The latest figures cover the period to 31 December 2008, and show that for the Hertfordshire CJS area:
	in 2006, 35 ASBOs were issued, and 32 were proved in court to have been breached for the first time;
	in 2007, 32 ASBOs were issued, and 24 were proved in court to have been breached for the first time; and
	in 2008, 16 ASBOs were issued, and 11 were proved in court to have been breached for the first time.

Entry Clearances

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports submitted with applications for visas to enter the UK her Department held at the consulate in  (a) Istanbul and  (b) Abu Dhabi in each year since 1997.

Damian Green: All visa applicants must normally submit a valid passport along with their application. The number of visa applications received at the visa sections in  (a) Istanbul and  (b) Abu Dhabi in each of the years since 2004 is shown in the following table. Reliable data are not held for previous years. This information reflects the date of receipt of a passport into UKBA offices in Abu Dhabi and Istanbul. It is not appropriate to infer the length of time any passport is held in our offices. However, visa sections always try to return passports and other documents to applicants promptly once a decision has been made.
	
		
			   Posts 
			  Applications  Abu Dhabi  Istanbul 
			 2004 23,442 32,107 
			 2005 19,147 41,237 
			 2006 22,453 54,869 
			 2007 20,099 57,418 
			 2008 33,087 85,302 
			 2009 134,806 81,124 
			 2010(1) 100,157 46,061 
			 (1) January to June 2010 
		
	
	This information is based on management information. It is provisional and subject to change.

EU Council Directive

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the implementation EU Council Directive 2005/71/EC on immigration rules for researchers and scientists.

Damian Green: The UK has not opted into EU Council Directive 2005/71/EC and has no plans to do so. Researchers and scientists may apply to study and work in the UK under our points-based system.

Firearms: Licensing

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what timetable she has set for her Department's review of firearms legislation.

James Brokenshire: The Government have indicated that they will consider any changes to the firearms laws in the light of the peer reviews commissioned by the chief constable into the force's handling of the shootings in Cumbria and having regard to any issues emerging from the police investigations into the case. The Government have already submitted evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee which is conducting an inquiry into firearms controls. Their findings will also be taken into account and a written response made.

Foreign Workers

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2010,  Official Report, column 755W, on foreign workers, how many of the intra-company transfers comprised  (a) approvals of new applications,  (b) extensions or amendments of an existing permit and  (c) applications in respect of which the individual has moved to another job with a different employer.

Damian Green: The requested information is set out in the following tables:
	
		
			  Work permit intra c ompany transfers approvals 1999 to  2008 
			  By top 3 largest employer user of work permits .  Approval of new application (work permit or first permission) 
			   Number 
			 1999 105 
			  0 
			  0 
			   
			 2000 710 
			  5 
			  0 
			   
			 2001 1,020 
			  0 
			  60 
			   
			 2002 1,315 
			  (1)- 
			  285 
			   
			 2003 1,455 
			  290 
			  165 
			   
			 2004 2,115 
			  1,080 
			  730 
			   
			 2005 2,215 
			  1,660 
			  850 
			   
			 2006 2,990 
			  2,080 
			  1,135 
			   
			 2007 3,380 
			  2,090 
			  2,535 
			   
			 2008 3,600 
			  1,615 
			  2,575 
			   
			 Total 18,905 
			  8,820 
			  8,340 
		
	
	
		
			  By top 3 largest employer user of work permits , e xtension or amendment of an existing permit (in country extension or work permit extension) 
			   Number 
			 1999 155 
			  0 
			  0 
			   
			 2000 450 
			  0 
			  0 
			   
			 2001 330 
			  0 
			  0 
			   
			 2002 585 
			  (1)- 
			  40 
			   
			 2003 710 
			  310 
			  60 
			   
			 2004 900 
			  655 
			  135 
			   
			 2005 645 
			  665 
			  50 
			   
			 2006 725 
			  585 
			  95 
			   
			 2007 510 
			  600 
			  360 
			   
			 2008 860 
			  610 
			  460 
			   
			 Total 5,865 
			  3,430 
			  1,205 
		
	
	
		
			  By top 3 largest employer user of work permits , a n application in respect of which the individual has moved to another job with a different employer (in country change of employment) 
			   Number 
			 1999 0 
			  0 
			  (1)- 
			   
			 2000 0 
			  0 
			  (1)- 
			   
			 2001 0 
			  0 
			  (1)- 
			   
			 2003 10 
			  0 
			  5 
			   
			 2004 75 
			  (1)- 
			  20 
			   
			 2005 15 
			  (1)- 
			  (1)- 
			   
			 2006 5 
			  10 
			  0 
			   
			 2007 15 
			  15 
			  0 
			   
			 2008 (1)- 
			  30 
			  5 
			   
			 Total 125 
			  55 
			  35 
			 (1) Indicates 1 or 2  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest 5. 2. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown.  Caveats: The figures do not equate to the number of individual nationals who were granted permits because they include those applications approved to extend or amend an existing permit or where the individual has moved to another job with a different employer. Not all those who were granted a permit took up the job and some may have been refused entry clearance or further leave to remain. Information is only available up until 2008 as the scheme closed at the end of 2008.

Human Trafficking

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been for offences related to human trafficking in each police force area in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: Figures from the UK Human Trafficking Centre for convictions for trafficking-related offences by force area are set out in the following tables. These figures cover the period up to the end of June 2010.
	
		
			  Trafficking convictions only by force and year as at 30 June 2010 
			  Convictions for labour exploitation 
			   Year of sentence  
			  Force  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010  Total 
			 Metropolitan Police 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 (1)3 3 
			 Sussex 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 0 4 0 0 4 
			 Total 0 0 1 4 2 3 10 
			 (1 )Two of these convictions were for conspiracy to traffick 
		
	
	
		
			  Convictions for sexual exploitation 
			   Year of sentence  
			  Force  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010  Total 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 4 
			 Dorset 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Durham 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Greater Manchester Police 0 0 1 3 3 9 0 16 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 
			 Kent 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 4 
			 Lancashire 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 5 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 4 
			 Metropolitan Police 1 10 11 1 11 9 4 47 
			 Northumbria 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 PSNI 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 South Wales 0 2 0 2 2 0 0 6 
			 South Yorkshire 2 6 0 0 2 5 0 15 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Surrey 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 3 
			 Sussex 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 5 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 5 
			 West Midlands 0 1 3 1 0 0 0 5 
			 West Yorkshire 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 5 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 (1)3 0 0 3 
			 Total 3 21 26 17 34 33 5 139 
			 (1 )All three convictions were for conspiracy to traffick. 
		
	
	
		
			  Convictions not for trafficking but related to the original trafficking offence by force and year as at 30 June 2010 
			  Labour e xploitation 
			   Year of sentence  
			  Force  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010  Total 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Leicestershire 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Metropolitan Police 0 1 0 1 2 1 5 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Total 0 2 1 3 3 7 16 
		
	
	
		
			  Sexual exploitation 
			   Year of sentence  
			  Force  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010  Total 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 4 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 5 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 
			 Essex 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Greater Manchester Police 0 0 0 3 9 3 0 15 
			 Hampshire 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Kent 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 
			 Lancashire 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Metropolitan Police 1 2 4 2 13 7 3 32 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 
			 Northumbria 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 4 
			 PSNI 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 South Wales 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Surrey 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 4 
			 West Midlands 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 3 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 
			 Total 1 3 10 13 34 24 9 94

Illegal Immigrants

Phil Woolas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with private contractors on procedures for escorting illegal immigrants during their removal from the UK.

Damian Green: The Home Secretary has not discussed with private contractors any procedures for escorting illegal immigrants during removal from the UK.
	I had a meeting with representatives from G4S Care and Justice Services in September 2010.
	In September, officials together with G4S and representatives from the Independent Monitoring Board held a bi-monthly meeting to discuss issues affecting the general wellbeing of detainees.
	A monthly meeting between UK Border Agency officials and G4S to review operations and performance was held on 20 October. Similar discussions have taken place in October with SERCO and Molynes, who provide escorting services at times of high demand.

Metropolitan Police: Human Trafficking

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received from the Metropolitan police force on the conviction of people arrested for human trafficking offences.

Damian Green: I have received no such representation.

Sex Offenders Act 1997

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to bring forward proposals to amend the Sex Offenders Act 1997 before Easter 2012.

James Brokenshire: The Sex Offenders Act 1997 was repealed and replaced by the Sexual Offences Act 2003 which brought together a range of tools and powers for the police and courts to impose to manage sex offenders as well as significant enhancements to the notification requirements (commonly referred to as the sex offenders' register).
	In light of the Supreme Court judgment in April 2010, which found that the lifetime notification requirements in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 are incompatible with article eight of the ECHR. Section 82 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 will need to be amended to remedy this incompatibility and we will bring forward proposals in due course.

UK Border Agency: Finance

Phil Woolas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much capital funding has been allocated to the UK Border Agency for the period from 2010 to 2015.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency's future capital funding for the period 2010-15 has not yet been allocated following the comprehensive spending review announced on 20th October 2010.
	Our priorities remain to secure the border and control migration. We are committed to programmes such as e-Borders and the Immigration Case Working system that will help to reduce the threat of terrorism, crime and immigration abuse and replace costly and outmoded paper work, respectively.
	These programmes will help improve our productivity and efficiency and will mean that we can target our resources on those people likely to cause most harm to the UK.

UK Border Agency: Standards

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the UK Border Agency's performance was against each of its service level standards at each major port of entry in the latest period for which figures are available.

Damian Green: We have interpreted the question as asking about our performance against queue targets within service level agreements published the UK Border Agency's customer charter and those held with local port operators.
	Our national service standard for queues is to process 95% of EEA passengers within 25 minutes and non-EEA passengers within 45 minutes.
	The UK Border Agency and port operators are also jointly committed to reduce waiting times through performance levels agreed via individual port service level agreements.
	The following table outlines the percentage of measured queues that have met the levels set in local service level agreements and performance against the nationally agreed service level standards (in brackets) for the period 1 April 2010 to 30 September 2010.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Region  EEA performance  Non-EEA performance 
			 Central 90.7 (96.5) 95.2 (97.7) 
			 South and Europe 96.1 (98.5) 94.3 (98.3) 
			 Heathrow 95.1 (99.5) 84.4 (93.8) 
			 North 98.2 (98.5) 99.6 (97.6) 
			
			 National 95.3 (98.5) 89.5 (96.5) 
			  Notes: 1. Includes Stansted, Luton, Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands, London City and Norwich and Harwich. 2. Includes Gatwick, Calais, Coquelles, Bristol, Bournemouth, Southampton, Exeter, Boulogne, Brussels, Dunkerque, Lille, Newhaven, Paris, Portsmouth, Plymouth.  3. Includes Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Belfast, Blackpool, Doncaster, Durham Tees, Humberside, Leeds, Prestwick.

CABINET OFFICE

Marriage: Cousins

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the Office for National Statistics collects figures on the number of first cousin marriages.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your request to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Office for National Statistics collects data on the number of first cousin marriages (21243).
	The Office for National Statistics does not collect data on parties who are related to one another at the time of marriage.

Public Bodies: Assets

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he has taken to identify the assets of public bodies to be disposed of as a result of the implementation of his policy on public bodies reform.

Francis Maude: Implementing the public body reform proposals announced on 14 October, including identifying assets, is the responsibility of the Government Departments that sponsor public bodies. Each Department is currently working with its public bodies to develop plans for implementation.

Questionnaires: Public Expenditure

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of expenditure by Government Departments on questionnaires which include requests for personal information.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office, asking what recent estimate he has made of Government expenditure on questionnaires which include requests for personal information. (20677)
	Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.

HEALTH

Antidepressants

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency on the antidepressant reboxetine.

Simon Burns: There have been no recent discussions between the Secretary of State for Health and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in relation to the antidepressant reboxetine. The MHRA keeps all emerging data in relation to medicinal products, including reboxetine, under close review. Any new data are carefully evaluated and where necessary prescribing advice is updated to reflect the new evidence.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission research into the merits of extending breast screening invitations to women aged up to 79 years.

Paul Burstow: The Cancer Reform Strategy (CRS) included the commitment that the NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHS BSP) would be extended to women aged 47 to 73. In June this year, we confirmed in the revision to the NHS Operating Framework 2010-11 that all local breast screening programmes should begin the extension in 2010-11.
	To give directly comparable data on the effectiveness of screening the extended age ranges, the extension to the breast screening programme is being randomised, with half of women being invited at age 47-49 and half at age 71-73. Decisions will be taken on extending the programme further once the results of the randomisation project are known.
	In the meantime, women over the age of 70 can request free three-yearly screening and should receive the leaflet 'Over 70? You are still entitled to breast screening' (developed jointly with Age UK) to advise them of this fact when they leave the NHS BSP. NHS Cancer Screening Programmes has commissioned research to examine if more can be done to raise awareness of this right.

Care Homes: Registration

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the effects of the introduction on standards of care and safety in residential homes of the 1 October deadline for full registration of residential care homes with the Care Quality Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care services in England. From 1 October 2010, independent healthcare and adult social care providers were brought within the new registration framework under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, which replaced registration under Care Standards Act 2000. Providers of regulated activities must be registered with CQC, and comply with registration requirements regulations that set out essential levels of safety and quality.
	The Department has received two letters about the effects of the introduction of the new registration framework. The first letter was from the trade union Unison raising issues linked to staff morale at CQC and the effectiveness of the new registration process. The second letter was from Merton MIND Management Committee expressing concerns about providers being aware of the introduction of the new standards of care and safety in residential homes and the timescales, cost and quality of inspections under the new standards.
	Both letters were brought to the attention of CQC.

Care Homes: Standards

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Care Quality Commission in the inspection and monitoring of standards in residential care homes; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of using enforcement actions by the Care Quality Commission to ensure the health and wellbeing of residents in residential care homes where serious shortcomings have been identified by the Commission.

Anne Milton: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care, established by the Health and Social Care Act 2008. CQC is accountable to the Secretary of State for discharging its functions, duties and powers effectively and economically.
	The Department monitors CQC's financial and operational performance and risks at a general and strategic level. It does not assess CQC's inspection or monitoring of specific residential care homes.
	The new registration system for private and voluntary health care and adult social care providers of regulated activities under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 came into effect from 1 October this year. For residential care homes, the new registration system replaces the previous registration system under the Care Standards Act (CSA) 2000.
	To be registered and remain registered, providers must comply with registration requirements relating to essential levels of safety and quality, which are set out in regulations. Failure to comply with the requirements is an offence, and CQC has a range of independent enforcement powers that it can exercise. CQC's enforcement policy sets out how it uses its enforcement powers-this has been developed, consulted on, and published by CQC. It replaces the previous enforcement policy CQC had developed to support the CSA registration system.
	CQC is required to publish a report of every inspection it carries out. It also publishes an annual report.

Care Homes: Standards

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of Care Quality Commission inspectors to monitor residential care homes and agencies.

Anne Milton: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care, established by the Health and Social Care Act 2008. The CQC is accountable to the Secretary of State for discharging its functions, duties and powers effectively and economically.
	The Department monitors CQC's financial and operational performance and risks at a general and strategic level. It does not assess CQC's inspection or monitoring of specific residential care homes.
	CQC is responsible for developing and consulting on its methodology for assessing whether providers are meeting registration requirements regulations. Following a 12-week formal consultation, it published its "Guidance About Compliance" in March 2010. This document explains in more detail how providers can comply with the registration requirements regulations.
	In relation to inspection or monitoring of registered providers, CQC has advised us that its frontline staff have an average caseload of 50 services, and that it ensures flexibility around resource across the organisation to support demand at times of peak activity.

Care Quality Commission: Job Satisfaction

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent reports he has received on staff morale amongst staff working for the Care Quality Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Department has received one letter about staff morale among staff working for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) from the trade union Unison. The letter was responded to by the Minister of State for Care Services.
	The Department has not received any other reports regarding staff morale at CQC.
	CQC is the independent regulator of health and adult social care. As such, it has its own procedures in place to respond to staff concerns. CQC has advised that it holds regular staff forums to look at issues that have been raised and is working with staff to resolve them in future, while ensuring its regulatory function continues to operate effectively.

Clinical Trials

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of publishing the results of drug trials; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the extent to which such results are disseminated.

Simon Burns: UK Public Assessment Reports and EU Public Assessment Reports provide information on the results of trials conducted in support of licensed medicinal products and are published on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency website at:
	www.mhra.gov.uk/Publications/PublicAssessmentReports/CON2022548
	and on the European Medicines Agency website at:
	www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/medicines/landing/epar_search.jsp&.jsenabled=true
	The law relating to reporting safety issues was strengthened following the concerns around GlaxoSmithKline's reporting of the use of paroxetine in children. The Medicines for Human Use (Marketing Authorisations Etc.) Amendment Regulations 2008 (SI 3097/2008) added to the existing provisions and state explicitly that marketing authorisation holders should report to the competent authority information from clinical trials outside the licensed indication, and information arising from third countries and provide a timescale for the reporting of such information.
	The Government support the funding of UK PubMed Central:
	www.ukpmc.ac.uk
	a free online repository of biomedical research including clinical trial information and the development of the UK Clinical Trials Gateway to make information about clinical trials available to members of the public and clinicians so that they may participate in research appropriate to them.
	The EudraCT database that holds protocol information on all trials of medicinal products conducted in any EU member state is accessible only to Competent Authorities of the EU member states, the European Medicines Agency and the European Commission. From early 2011, it will be providing publicly accessible protocol information for all trials approved in Europe other than trials in healthy volunteers.

Diseases: Health Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to include provision for rare and complex conditions in his proposed NHS Outcomes Framework.

Simon Burns: We are developing an NHS Outcomes Framework, which will measure the overall progress of the national health service in delivering better health outcomes for patients.
	While it will be important to ensure that the national framework includes a balanced set of outcome goals, it can never be comprehensive in terms of setting specific outcomes for all diseases and conditions. Nevertheless, the consultation proposals set out in "Liberating the NHS: Transparency in Outcomes-a framework for the NHS", represented a deliberate attempt to make sure that the breadth of NHS activity was covered by structuring the framework around five broad outcome goals or domains, with overarching indicators to measure progress in each. Below this, the proposed NHS Commissioning Board will be under a duty to ensure that a comprehensive service is commissioned, including for patients with rare and complex conditions and will be able to commission the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to develop quality standards to help it in fulfilling this duty.
	The Department is currently analysing responses to the consultation ahead of publishing the first NHS Outcomes Framework later in the year.

Eyesight: Health Services

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of the optical sector on the development of community eye care services.

Simon Burns: Departmental officials have regular meetings with representatives of the optical sector, as well as organisations representing service users and professionals.

Eyesight: Health Services

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to include  (a) treatment of (i) glaucoma, (ii) age-related macular degeneration and (iii) diabetic retinopathy and  (b) other eye care services within the scope of personal health budgets.

Simon Burns: Personal health budgets are currently being piloted; 63 areas are actively involved in the pilot programme, involving around half the primary care trusts in England.
	Individual pilot sites are free to decide which conditions or services to cover. The pilots are exploring personal health budgets across a wide range of long-term health conditions, but none of the sites are currently focusing on glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy or other ophthalmic services.
	However, as the Government said in the White Paper, 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS', we believe personal health budgets have great potential to help improve outcomes and promote integration between services by putting individuals in control. We are encouraging further pilots to come forward, and would welcome any proposals from new or existing pilot sites.

Eyesight: Health Services

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to encourage collaboration between GP commissioning consortia and local optical committees.

Simon Burns: Local optical committees may prove to be an effective source of advice for general practitioner (GP) commissioning consortia. It will be for local GP commissioners to determine how to collaborate with their local optical committee, service users and other professionals in deciding how to commission local eye care services.

Eyesight: Health Services

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the representation of local optical committees on local health and well-being boards.

Simon Burns: The Department's consultation on the Government's White Paper 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS' closed on 5 October, and the consultation on associated proposals for Increasing Democratic Legitimacy in Health, Transparency in Outcomes: A Framework, Commissioning for Patients and Regulating Healthcare Providers finished on 11 October. One of the subjects for consultation was the membership of the proposed Health and Wellbeing Boards and the flexibilities they should have to specify membership as appropriate locally. The Department is currently considering the responses to the consultations.

Health: Children

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many children under five years whose mother was aged 19 years or under at birth were diagnosed with health problems in  (a) Hastings and Rye and  (b) nationally in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many children under five years old were diagnosed with health problems in  (a) Hastings and Rye and  (b) nationally in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	For information about children diagnosed with health problems in her constituency, the hon. Member may wish to contact Hastings and Rother Primary Care Trust.

HIV Infection

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of people living with HIV in the UK who are undiagnosed; and what steps he plans to take to reduce that proportion.

Anne Milton: In 2008, there were an estimated 83,000 people living with HIV (both diagnosed and undiagnosed). Over a quarter (27%, 22,400) of people were estimated to be undiagnosed. The Health Protection Agency will publish 2009 estimates later this year.
	The Department is funding eight projects to assess the feasibility and acceptability of HIV testing in services other than antenatal and sexual health services. Three of the pilots are in hospitals, three in community settings and two are in primary care settings. An interim report will be published later this year and a full report will be produced in 2011.

Hospitals: Construction

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mechanism will be for the establishment of a new NHS hospital following the ending of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts.

Simon Burns: The Government's strategy is to give responsibility for commissioning most hospital and other health care services to general practitioner (GP)-led commissioning consortiums, so that commissioning decisions better reflect the needs of patients. GP consortiums will be accountable to an independent NHS Commissioning Board for the health outcomes they achieve for patients. Autonomous providers including NHS foundation trusts, will be free to make their own investment as long as their schemes are clinically driven and affordable.

Maternity Services: Huddersfield

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mothers gave birth in the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary Birthing Centre between January and June 2010.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many mothers gave birth in the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary Birthing Centre between January and June 2010. (21111)
	Figures for live births by hospital have been compiled from birth registration data. The latest year for which data on place of birth are available is 2009. The table below shows the number of live births in 2009 in the hospital requested, according to this source. Information on place of birth is provided by the informant at registration rather than by the hospitals themselves.
	
		
			  Live births occurring in Huddersfield Royal Infirmary Birthing Centre in 2009 
			  Period  Number 
			 1 January to 30 June 2009 294 
			 1 July to 31 December 2009 292 
			 Total 2009 586

Maternity Services: Huddersfield

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were transferred from the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary Birthing Centre to other hospitals by emergency ambulance between January and June 2010; and to which hospitals were they transferred.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not collected centrally. This information may be obtained directly from the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.

Medical Records

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average annual number of occasions on which a healthcare professional may seek to access patients' records via the summary care record database.

Simon Burns: The Department does not hold information that would make it possible to make a meaningful estimate. However, we are confident that summary care records (SCRs) containing core patient information will prove valuable for patients needing emergency care. We anticipate that their use will increase as more SCRs are created and health care staff who provide emergency care are trained to access SCRs in appropriate situations to support safe care for patients.

Medical Records

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to require explicit opt-in consent from a patient to any  (a) proposal or  (b) request to add data to their summary care record.

Simon Burns: The main recommendation of the recent review of the content of the summary care record (SCR), led by Sir Bruce Keogh, was that the core information should only include a patient's medications, allergies, and adverse reactions. Any additional information beyond this should only be added to the SCR with the explicit consent of the patient.
	We firmly believe that it is for patients to decide if any additional information should be included in their SCR, supported by appropriate professionals. Following publication of the outcome of the SCR review a letter was sent by officials to each primary care trust (PCT) highlighting that any information added to a patient's SCR over and above the core information should only be done with the explicit consent of the patient. Where additional information has already been added to patients' SCRs, patient consent must be confirmed for the additional information to be retained. Where the explicit consent of the patient is not confirmed, PCTs will advise general practitioner practices to amend the SCR to hold only core information.

NHS: Accountability

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for public scrutiny and accountability mechanisms in respect of  (a) foundation trusts and  (b) GP commissioning.

Simon Burns: The Government set out their proposals for future scrutiny and accountability of national health service foundation trusts and general practitioner consortiums in the 'Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS' White Paper. Following consultation on the above, and in light of feedback received, the Government are considering the way forward for health scrutiny and accountability.

NHS: Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make an estimate of the number of  (a) nurses,  (b) doctors and  (c) medical support staff likely to be made redundant as a result of the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review;
	(2)  if he will make an estimate of the number of redundancies likely to be made by the NHS as a result of the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review.

Simon Burns: The precise numbers of doctors, nurses and support staff required over the next five years will not be known until the new organisations that will underpin the new system have been designed in more detail.
	The Department is consulting on how the new organisations should be designed and, once the results of this are known, an impact assessment will be published.

Streptococcus

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of group B streptococcus infection were recorded in each of the last five years; and what other data his Department collect on the incidence of such infections.

Anne Milton: This information is not routinely collected by the Department. However, the Health Protection Agency collects data on laboratory reports on blood infections including Group B Streptococcus (GBS). The Health Protection Agency website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/StreptococciGroupB/
	gives the number of reported GBS cases reported by laboratories as in the following table.
	
		
			   Cases 
			 2004 1,176 
			 2005 1,250 
			 2006 1,442 
			 2007 1,403 
			 2008 1,550

Streptococcus: Pregnancy

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether his Department has conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the introduction of routine screening of pregnant women for group B streptococcus;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost of introducing a pilot screening programme for pregnant women to test for group B streptococcus and what analysis his Department has conducted to inform this estimate.

Anne Milton: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy. The UK NSC reviewed the policy for screening for group b streptococcus (GBS) carriage in pregnancy in 2009 and concluded that the evidence did not support its introduction.
	The UK NSC commissioned a clinical and cost effectiveness study comparing different approaches to GBS. The health technology assessment took this work forward on behalf of the UK NSC and published the results in 2007. The main conclusion was that there was considerable uncertainty on the most effective approach to GBS. The study results were considered during the policy review.
	The Department has therefore not conducted a cost benefit analysis or estimated the cost of introducing a pilot screening programme.
	The UK NSC will review its policy position again on GBS carriage in pregnancy screening in 2012 or earlier if any significant new peer reviewed evidence emerges.

Weather: Health Services

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to equip the NHS to manage winter pressures in 2010-11.

Simon Burns: The Department has worked with strategic health authorities to ensure the national health service has robust arrangements in place across local health and social care areas to deal with the additional pressures winter can bring. Since the autumn the NHS has been working with its partners locally to address the challenges they will face during the course of the forthcoming winter.